A Bundle of Promises
by Infinite Vibrance
Summary: It all started when Naruto opened his locker one day and found a dangling rose, and with that rose... came a promise.
1. First Promise

Yes, I am insane for posting a new story when I have others to work on. That's fine, a little insanity's okay c;. I had this idea and I wanted to run with it and finish it before I lost feeling for the idea. I will work on my other storys, don't worry, but I need to get this out in the open first! So yus!

**Warning: M for the following reasons... Swearing, BoyxBoy smexy loving, sexual themes, somewhat humorous (Well, I think I'm somewhat funny 8D), a tad angsty, and uhh... OH YEAH! So it's a little onsided affection on Naruto's part for Sakura (trust me, they go nowhere. So don't worry) and then it'll turn into SasuNaru (: I don't hate Sakura, so no, this shall not bash her. The characters might, but that's only their nature (; I hope no one is OOC but if there is, then I apologize! THOSE GUYS ALWAYS GROW MINDS OF THEIR OWNS... And penises-WAIT WHAT?**

**Disclaimer: Guys, I don't own Naruto. We can dream, right? -Sings WE ARE FIGHTING DREAAAMERS-**

**Oh yeah, this is about 20 chapters. Not too long, right? (:**

Enjoy, everyone!

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><p>There are some things in life that you'll just never be able to explain.<p>

For Naruto Uzumaki, regular student with a dopey GPA, that time had come today.

It all started with a bunch of roses, strung together with thirteen promises.

**Chapter One: The First Promise**

**+I'll Give You a Smile+**

Blue eyes were slowly opening up to the world of a brightly shining sun and the smell of bacon floating through his nostrils. A yawn tumbled from his lips. _'__He__'__s __cooking __today,__' _that's new. Iruka rarely ever had the time to cook. Let alone get up in the morning. A wane smile pierced the blonde's face. _'__Maybe __today__'__s __going __to __be __a __good __day.__'_

And it would be, but let's give him a few more hours.

Scratching his tummy, Naruto headed down the stairs, his normally flatten blonde hair poking out in odd directions for the sky. The closer he got to the kitchen, the more he got assaulted by the smell of bacons, eggs, waffles and… was that coffee? _'__Damn, __Iruka __went __all __out __this __morning.__'_

"So," Naruto yawned, sitting down at an empty chair as he watched his guardian worry over the stove, "who died?"

Iruka stopped what he was doing to give Naruto a look. "What makes you think someone's dead?"

"Well, you never cook _this _much on a Monday morning unless someone's either dead, dying, or it's the anniversary of a dead person."

"Can't I cook a nice breakfast just because I want to?"

Naruto grinned, "Nope!"

Iruka sighed and went back to his cooking. "I swear you are something else, Naruto Uzuamki."

The blonde stretched out like cat and rested his cheek onto the hardwood table. It was cool to the touch and chilled Naruto's face. "That's what they say! So what's the real reason why you're cooking so much?"

Iruka set a steaming plate of waffles, eggs and bacon in front of Naruto and then set a plate for himself. He sat down opposite of Naruto. "I was in the mood, you know? I woke up with the feeling: 'Something's good is going to happen'."

Naruto was already scarfing down his breakfast at a lightning speed. "Mmm… myeah," he swallowed, "I know what you mean. Mmm, these waffles are really good! And the eggs… and the bacon! Iruka, you're a fucking genius!"

"Language, Naruto." Iruka corrected sternly. "I've raised you better than that."

"I know, I know." Naruto defended himself. "It'll never happen again, I promise!" he went for his mug of coffee and slurped it down like he was dehydrated for months. The hot liquid scorched his tongue and left a trail of fire heading down his throat. _"Fuck!"_

"Naruto!"

+I Promise+

As Naruto entered through the double doors of Kingsway High, he knew something was up. Even more so than usual he felt eyes glaring into his back, trying to mark him down. He stood straight through it all with his head held high and a mask stamped onto his face. Glares were nothing. Whispers were just something he brushed passed with indifference.

School was nothing more than a habit, a part of a ritual, to Naruto.

'_Ten __more __steps __to __my __locker,__' _he thought with lines of hopes stringing through his words. _'__Then __I__'__ll __see __Kiba __and __Gaara, __have __an __obnoxious __conversation, __and __slum __through __the __rest __of __the __day.__' _That tactic would have worked on any other day of the week, but not today.

"Hey, ho!" Kiba, his shaggy best friend, bounded up beside him and latched onto Naruto like a hugging leech.

"Gah, Kiba! You fucking whore, get off me!" try as he may, Naruto couldn't peel the dog-boy off of him so he sighed, gave up, and started to jam random folders into his locker.

"You love my affection," Kiba said.

"Yeah," Naruto slammed his locker door shut once he had everything he needed.

"You're just like a dog, annoying and obnoxious."

"Hey!"

Gaara, right on time, walked up to his two friends and pried the loud brunette off of Naruto. "I had a feeling something stupid was going on…" he glanced over at Kiba who was pouting like a child, "Good thing I came."

Naruto beamed brightly, "And this is why I love you so much!"

"Where's my love?" Kiba whined.

"Up your ass," Naruto shot right back.

You know it's a good day when insults flow so easily into the conversation.

The bell rang, cutting off any and all retorts the brunette could have made up in the span of five seconds. If you were curious, Kiba came out with around ten insults, each holding onto a very obscene curse word.

"As much as I love watching you guys argue, I don't want to be late for class." Gaara shrugged up his messenger bag and raised a non-existent eyebrow towards his blonde best friend. "Coming, Naruto?"

"I dunno," Naruto drawled and leaned against a locker. "I'm really not in the mood for—Ouch, don't yank on my arm, dammit!"

The redhead was _not _going to deal with Naruto's truancy act for another day if he had any say about it. And he did. A lot of say in the situation, to be honest. "Nope. Not having it. We're going to class."

"Gaaaah," Naruto tried to wriggle free from Gaara's grasp but, damn, that kid had such a grip! He shot his other friend a final, pleading glance as he was yanked around a corner. "Kiba! Save me!"

"I'll see you in art, bitch!" Kiba waved a goodbye, a huge grin on his face.

"I hate you!" was the last thing the brunette heard before Naruto was dragged away to his doom… English class.

+I Promise+

Not for the first time Naruto wished he could have shot himself out of this boredom he was forced to sit in and listen to for the next hour and two minutes. His head kept on meeting the desk with a soft _thump_.

'_Kill __me,_' he thought as the teacher droned on and on about a novel he really didn't care to know about. _'__Just __kill __me __now.__' _

"Naruto! Last time I checked this wasn't naptime. So either go to the nurse if you feel like you're about to die, or go to the office. I will not tolerate students falling asleep in class!"

"Well maybe if your class wasn't so damn boring…" Naruto mumbled.

Jiraya, his perverted and normally indifferent English teacher, could feel his blood starting to boil. "What was that you fucking brat?"

"Nothing!" Naruto piped out. He knew better than to push the limits of Jiraya's once he started to cuss.

"Baka," the blonde heard Gaara whisper.

"Oh shut it!" he whispered back.

The rest of class dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. By the time class was done Naruto thought half his brain was partially dead and or rotting. He nearly whooped in relief when the bell signaling sweet freedom from the world of poetry and Charles Dickens rang through the air.

"About fucking time!" he hollered.

Gaara smirked, "Class wasn't that bad."

Naruto scoffed, "Says you, Mr. Teacher's Pet."

"Please. I'm just not an idiot like you are."

"Why do I hang out with you again?"

"You ask Kiba and I the same question at least once a day and what do we say?"

The blond sighed, but a small smile fought onto his face. "You guys are the only ones who can give me kick ass butt sex."

Gaara smirked, "And don't you forget it."

+I Promise+

"Hey, Naruto… what's that thing hanging from your locker?"

"Huh?" Confused, Naruto tugged at the flower dangling from his locker with great care. He recognized the flower immediately. "It's a rose…" he whispered. Rose, the symbol of love and affection. _'__Who __could __have __put __this __in __my __locker?__' _

"Dude," Kiba plucked the flower from Naruto's grasp and examined the white note tied to the stem with curiosity. "There's even a note on here. Holy shit, you've got a secret admirer, you lucky bastard!"

"Shut up, Kiba! I don't!" Naruto pulled the flower back from his best friend's hands, his eyes falling onto the white letter.

_To __Naruto _it said in the neatest handwriting Naruto had ever seen.

"Lucky bastard," he heard Kiba mutter. "Why don't I get shit like that?"

Naruto shrugged. The hallway around them was starting to clear out as lunch rolled by. Naruto, Kiba, and Gaara normally met at the blonde's locker before heading off to lunch but Gaara was running a little late due to a science project he had to present. He said it wouldn't take too long and that he'd meet them at Naruto's locker so they could head out.

"Probably because no one can stand that big mouth of yours," the blonde carefully slipped the letter from the stem and held the white card in his hands. They trembled. Curiosity gnawed on his mind. _'__What __if __this __is __some __joke?__'_ he thought, his thumb caressing the plain white paper.

"You won't know if you don't read it."

With a sigh—Naruto was positive his heart was going to explode from all the tension—the blonde turned over the letter.

_One day, I'll give you a smile. _

—_S_

Naruto's eyebrows shot to his hairline as he read over the letter. A smile? What? _'__Who __is __this __person__…__?__' _he looked at the only signature that gave at least a hint as to who the mystery person could be. "S…" he whispered, his mind racing with different possibilities.

Kiba peered over Naruto's shoulder. "S, huh? Maybe it's Sakura! You've had the biggest crush on her since, like, Kindergarten, man!"

A blush seized Naruto's whiskered cheeks. He shook his head wildly, his blonde mop of hair flying with him. "No way! Sakura wouldn't do something like this… would she?" out of all the interactions he had with the pink-haired girl it normally ended up with him getting punched for something he didn't even do! The girl had a killer left hook, too.

"Dunno! But word on the street is she's a _very_affectionate lover! We have class with her after lunch, right?" Naruto nodded slowly. "Then if she smiles at you, she's gotta be the one!"

"Who's going to be the one?" Finally finished with his project, Gaara shrugged up his messenger bag and stood near Naruto.

"Oh, nothing much." Kiba grinned wildly, "Naruto just has a secret admirer who sent him a rose as all and it's Sakura Haruno from our grade!"

"I do not!" Naruto refused, but the blush on his face was telling a different story. He really wanted to smack off the smirks that grew on both Kiba and Gaara's face. "We don't even know if Sakura was the one who sent it, so stop saying shit, Kiba!"

"Just watch me be right, Uzumaki! You'll be clawing at my feet for forgiveness after doubting me."

"Kiba, you're an idiot." Gaara grounded out, amused by the mock look of hurt on Kiba's face. "And Naruto, are you sure this rose thing isn't some joke? Remember last year?"

Naruto felt his body go rigid. How could he forget last year? A shiver danced up his spine at the dark memories that clouded his mind. He gulped back the fear. "Of course I didn't forget," he said quietly. "But maybe this is different? Seriously, though, I could really care less if this rose-promise-thingy is real or not. I just want lunch! I heard they're selling brownies with the premiere lunch today!"

"Brownies?" Kiba's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "Why didn't you tell us that before? Fucking brownies man!" he grabbed both his friends by the arm and started to drag them down the stairs. "Let's go get some brownies!"

+I Promise+

After lunch was art class, and Naruto would have been lying if he said his heart wasn't on the verge of spewing out rainbows and other fluids. Nervousness gnawed on every fiber of his skin as he took his place in the middle of the art room with Kiba.

"Watch me be right," Kiba pulled out his sketchbook and a box of 128 Crayola crayons.

"Watch you be so wrong!" Naruto countered. His nerves were sparking up a different story, though. Deep down, he knew he wanted Kiba to be right no matter how much gloated he'd receive from his friend later on. Despite himself, his eyes traveled over the expanse of students to the girl who currently had a wild clutch on his heart.

Sakura Haruno, sixteen-years-old and one of the few girls every guy in the school wanted to hook up with—no lie, there's an actual line of men just waiting for her to open up her… arms. On the exterior she was just a pretty girl with short, pink hair, porcelain white skin and sea-green eyes that popped vibrantly off her skin. That's only if you don't know her well enough, though. On the inside Sakura was a raging bull that could hold her own against anyone. Her strength was rather legendary.

'_And __I__'__ll __never __get __her,__' _Naruto thought morbidly. There's a reason why, too. And it was not just because of their social standings in the circle of high school life.

"Oh my God! Sasuke's here!"

"Jesus, that kid is _fiiine_!"

"What I wouldn't give to have him smile at me…"

"Smile? Please, I want that damn body of his!"

And there's your reason.

Naruto felt his blood boil over as squeals after squeals erupted from various areas of the room. He could never, for the life of him, understand why the girls always got so hysterical around Sasuke Uchiha. _'__He__'__s __a __prick!__The __bastard __never __talks __to __anyone __but __his __older __brother __and __treats __the __rest __of __us __like __dirt.__' _

It was true, to a certain extent. Sasuke Uchiha was the typical bad boy covered in ice that every girl fawned over. Even Naruto's childhood crush…

"God, girls are so annoying." Kiba muttered as he colored in another part of his character based off his favorite game Kingdom Hearts. "Oh garsh, that Sasuke is _sooo _hot! Mmmm, what I wouldn't give to have his penis inside me!" he mocked whispered, causing the blonde beside him to snort out a laugh.

"If any of them heard you say that you'd be walking around dickless," Naruto said in-between peels of laughter.

Kiba shrugged and pulled out another crayon. This one was Aquamarine. "Like I give a fuck what they'll do to me. I don't' see why the spazz out so much over that bastard. He never gave them the time of day yet some of the have already planned out their wedding!"

Naruto had to agree with that. He never understood what the big deal was about this Uchiha kid! _'__Sure, __he__'__s __rich__… __and __he__'__s __like __a __beast __at __soccer __and __lacrosse. __But __other __than __that __he__'__s __a __prick!__' _he sighed and looked over at the bastard raven in the back who was simply sitting there doodling, completely unaware of the hateful glares he was getting from the males and the lustful gazes he was getting from the girls. _'__How __could __anyone __like __Sakura __like __him?__' _Naruto glanced over at his crush who was engaged in conversation with her best friend, Ino. Giggles would erupt in quiet spasms, followed by quick glances at the quietly working raven.

Naruto picked up a marsh green colored pencil and began to sketch his scenery. The project was due by the end of class and he only had about 50% of it completed. _'__That__'__s __what __I __get __for __goofing __off.__' _He chastised. Art class was one of his best subjects since it didn't include any numbers or memorization of poems written by dead poets with suffering souls. All it required was time, patience, and imagination. Naruto had the imagination part hands down.

He felt eyes on him about halfway through class. He looked up, blue clashing with beautiful sea green. He felt his heart stop. A blush crawled over his whiskered cheeks. Sakura Haruno… his crush… the girl he wanted in his arms… was smiling at him.

_I'll give you a smile. _

The words replayed over and over again in his mind as he watched the girl get embarrassed and then turn around, giggling madly with Ino. Naruto found it hard to catch his breath. He thought the world had frozen and for a moment it was just him and Sakura. Beautiful, smiling Sakura.

'_Dammit! I should have smiled back!'_

"Toooold you!" Kiba sang. "Gaara so owes me ten bucks now!"

Naruto was too speechless to talk back. His mind flooded back to the rose that was resting in his book bag. His fingers absentmindedly brushed over the blood red petals. They were soft to the touch, smooth as velvet.

'_Maybe __Kiba __was __right __after __all__…' _his heart skipped a beat at the prospect.

"Well, while you sit there and think about how much you owe me, I'm going to go get some watercolors." Kiba got up from his stool, "Be right back."

So Naruto was left alone to figure out the chaotic pieces of the puzzle the fulfilled promise and rose meant. He grabbed another color, this time cotton candy pink, and started to color in his orange blended in with golden yellow sky. He was so immersed in his artwork that he didn't notice a certain raven peering over his shoulder…

"It's not polite to ignore people."

Naruto literally jumped out of his seat. Disbelief glowed brightly in his eyes are he stared at the raven examining his work. "W-What are you doing?" he asked, placing his upper body over his artwork so the raven couldn't see. He didn't know why he was acting so self-conscious around Sasuke. It's not like he cared deeply about his opinion.

The raven smirked, though it was small. "Was just passing by and saw your work… it's alright."

Naruto felt a vein pop. "Alright? _Just _alright?" his voice kicked up another level.

"Naruto, shush!" the teacher called out. Naruto slumped in his seat, ignoring the muffled chuckles around the room.

"The blending's nice," Sasuke, continued totally unfazed. "But you're trying to attract the attention on the boy in the field, right?" it took a while, but Naruto eventually nodded slowly. "Then wouldn't it make sense to make the boy a different color? You have his clothes mixing in with the grass. Even not coloring hi at all, or just making one portion of the boy colored would instantly attract the viewer to him."

"The blonde gaped at the observation Sasuke could make just a few seconds of glimpsing at the picture. Granted it was a normal one, but Naruto had totally overlooked it in the heat of the moment. A small part of his pride was telling him that the bastard had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but the rational part that wanted a good grade on his project told him to take the advice with stride.

So, with great trepidation, Naruto allowed a small smile to grace his face. "Thanks…"

Something happened to Naruto that he never expected to see even if the apocalypse was occurring. He witnessed an event barely anyone got to see.

Sasuke Uchiha… had smiled at him. It was small, but it was still a smile, and Naruto vaguely noted that it was a nice smile too…

"No need to thank me, Dobe. I just felt the need to point it out."

And then Naruto felt the urge to knock the living daylights out of the raven come back again. He scowled, "What the hell did you just call me, bastard?"

The raven's smile grew a little in mockery. "I called the Dobe a Dobe."

"Go to Hell, Uchiha!" Naruto screamed.

"Naruto, shut the hell up!" his teacher barked right back.

Naruto silently fumed in his seat as he watched the raven saunter away all-high and might like. _'__He__'__s __bastard! __A __humongous, __stick __up __the __ass, __bastard! __I __hope __he __inhales __too __much __gas __and __dies!__' _wow… that was a little intense.

"Oi, what did the rich prick want with yah?" Kiba finally came back with his watercolors and pastels. He sported a confused look on his face.

"Nothing," the blonde muttered, picking up another colored pencil so he could resume his work. "He was just being his bastard self."

Kiba scoffed and sat down, "What else is new?"

For the rest of the class, Naruto continued his work fixing things here and there and splashing in finishing touches until his artwork was finally satisfactory to him.

"Hmm," his teacher hummed, peering over the blonde's shoulder. "Very nice, Naruto! I love how you only colored the hair on your character. Since we cannot see the boy's face, you manage to draw the viewer in by the brightness and color of his hair! Well done."

That was the first time Naruto was praised in Art class. The foreign feeling bubbled through his system, forcing out a goofy smile on the blonde's face.

"Told you," the raven walked by, a secret smirk in place as he went up to return his supplies.

But right now, Naruto couldn't care less about Sasuke's bastard ways. He was praised for something he did, not mocked and looked down upon like was the norm—not in the class, but by a few classmates… And, Sakura smiled at him… a promise fulfilled to the brim. Today was definitely a good day.

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><p>Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think about the first chapter! Sorry if Sasuke's advice to Naruto was a little... stupid, I may have tried a little too hard to sound "art smart". Well, other than that, what did you think? <strong>Review, please (:!<strong>

Until next time :D!


	2. Second Promise

**Why yes, I am updating rather early. No worries, the updates will turn into weekly things soon enough (; **Thank you so much for your reviews and adding this story to your favs and alerts -sniffles- Garsh, I feel so loved. But I did notice some minor mistakes I made last chapter... -facepalmed- They're fixed, though! SO YOU'LL ALL NEVER KNOW. MWAHAHAHAH /Somewhat Evil.

**Warning: Trust me, Naruto's secret admirer is OBVIOUS... just not so obvious to Naruto ;). Poor boy. Anywho, I'm basing their school off of America schooling because that's easier for me. Just so you know. Anything else is pretty much swearing and horrible humor ;). Unless you find me funny. Then that's good. Oh! And for the first few chapters we're going day by day xD That'll change soon. **

**Disclaimer: I own my LOVE for Naruto and all it's yummy, yaoi goodness... I just don't own Naruto.**

Enjoy c:

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Second Promise<strong>

**+I'll Give You a Compliment+ **

Later that day, Naruto returned home floating on a cloud.

"Someone looks happy," Iruka said from the living room. He was curled up in a snuggie with a good book on his lap. Iruka smiled. "Something good happen at school today?"

Naruto grinned like an idiot. "Life's just good, Iruka!"

"Well that's good to hear. Now go clean up your room. I went in there this afternoon and it looked like it got nuked."

The blonde's good mood barely even deflated. "Okay!"

Iruka watched the blonde bolt up the stairs with his eyebrow arched high, "What a strange kid..." he sighed and flipped open to the page he was on, a small smile curling on his lips. "Well, I'm glad things seem to be getting better now."

+I Promise+

Once Naruto was upstairs he fished for an empty flower vase he would fill sometimes if he found flowers he liked and placed it on the windowsill. With great care he pulled out the rose his "secret admirer" gave him and placed it inside the vase.

"I'll take good care of you," he whispered to the symbol of Love. "After all you came from someone very important."

The red rose glowed in the darkness of Naruto's room as sleep descended upon his household.

+I Promise+

In typical Tuesday fashion Naruto was running late... Again.

"Shit, shit, fucking shit!" he cried as he dashed up the stairs, gracefully tripped, got up again and made a mad dash for his locker. "Dammit Iruka! Why the fuck did you have to keep me in just so we could talk about color choices for the living room?" it was turning out to be one of those days...

Rounding the corner, Naruto bumped into the last body he wanted to see so early in the morning.

"Watch where you're going, Dobe." Sasuke was flat on his ass with a dazed blonde on top of him.

"Ugh..." Naruto shook his head wildly. He glanced down and saw the smirking raven below him, screeched, and jumped off into a lame karate position. "Bastard, maybe you shouldn't have bumped into me in the first place!"

Naruto barely paid attention to his hyperventilating heartbeat and mini-blush scarring his cheeks. But anyone would be a little shaken landing on top of someone in such a provocative way.

Sasuke got up from the ground, wiping the dirt off his pants. "This hallway is rather narrow. And you were running down here like the cops were chasing after you... By the way," Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, "why are you running late?"

Naruto relaxed his stance a little, "None of your business, bitch!" he barked out. Now, was that really necessary?

The raven nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, as if Naruto not telling him why didn't bother him one bit. "Ouch?"

_'This guy is a walking migraine!'_ The blonde thought as he gritted his teeth. Honestly, he didn't know why he was getting so annoyed by Sasuke's indifference, he just was. Every little thing Sasuke set him off in ways he couldn't even describe. "What about you?" he asked, leaning in. "Mr. Perfect skipping class?"

"And what if I was?"

"W-What?" okay, so Naruto wasn't expecting that at all.

Sasuke shrugged again, a lazy smirk dawdled on his face. "I asked what if I was skipping class?" the space between them seemed to he growing thinner and thinner... "Would your opinion of me change?"

Naruto gulped, unconsciously taking a step back Ito the wall. _'Why is he so close?'_ it was weird. Seeing Sasuke so close to him, having those onyx eyes bore into him. Searching for him like he was exposing every little secret Naruto had.

A few seconds later, Sasuke pulled back with a small grin on his face. That was the second time Naruto saw Sasuke show off at least a glimpse of a smile. "Wow, you're so gullible. I'm out on errand for Kakashi-sensei. He wanted me to pick up a book for him. Nothing special."

The blonde's erratic heartbeat was slowly climbing down from its high. "Why are you telling me this?"

The raven shrugged and jammed his hands deep into the holes of his pockets. "You asked me, didn't you?" leaving the question to dangle in the air, Sasuke brushed past the confused blonde and headed down the stairs out of sight.

Naruto forced his eyes to not follow after the raven. Once again he was left in the humongous wake that was Sasuke Uchiha. The raven not only grated on Naruto's nerves but also left him confused as fuck. Sighing, Naruto hoisted up his book bag and jogged the rest of his way to his locker.

Waiting inside for him, was a single red rose with a small note tied to the end. The rose came with another promise.

_I'll give you a compliment. _

"Sakura..." he whispered with adoration in his words as he sniffed the flower. He couldn't wait to see her today! Gently placing both the promise and the flower into his book bag, Naruto grabbed the little materials he would need for his first four classes, closed his locker, and dashed off to catch the last half-hour of English.

Little did he know that there was a little raven watching him...

+I Promise+

"Iruka keeping you in again?" Gaara asked during a free period in English. The class was broken up in groups of two for a mini-assignment and Naruto and Gaara had instantly linked up. Now Gaara was determined to know why Naruto was wearing such an annoying smile on his face. Though he could come up with some rather good guesses.

"Yeaah," Naruto drawled as he cut out the paper for the poster board. **SAVE THE PANDAS!** it screamed. "I swear Tuesdays do something to his brain that totally throws him out of whack."

"Must be something in the air," Gaara joked.

Naruto grinned even wider, "Must be."

"Another rose?" Gaara motioned to the brilliant red poking out through Naruto's bag.

"Yup!"

"What's the promise?"

"Sakura's gonna compliment me today," Naruto scratched at his cheek, a goofy spark in his eyes.

Gaara stared at his friend for the longest while before shaking his head and grabbing a glue stick. "You seriously believe its Sakura giving you these roses?"

"She gave me a smile yesterday! Just like the promise on the first rose said," Naruto defended. He was totally siding with his heart and not his mind on this one.

"Naruto, tell me the last time you and Sakura ever held a conversation that didn't end with her beating the shit out of you?"

"Uhh... Does kindergarten count?"

"You're an idiot," Gaara determined, slapping on a paper cut out of a panda onto the poster board. "You and Sakura are pretty much strangers. The notion that she's sending you flowers and promises anonymously is a little weird, don't you think?"

"Do you always have to kill my mood?" Naruto asked, his grin faltering ever so slightly.

"I'm only making you think rationally here. I don't want to see you get hurt again, Naruto."

It was moments like these where Naruto had the strong urge to glomp Gaara. The redhead rarely showed emotion, let alone actual feelings of sympathy. _'He's just watching out for me...'_ Naruto flashed a small smile towards his friend, "Thanks, Gaara but I won't get hurt this time... I can't let the past hold me down forever."

The teacher told everyone to stop working and that they'd start presenting now. Naruto had a good feeling pooling in his stomach as he put away his materials. He couldn't wait for art class where Sakura would give him that compliment and fulfill the second promise.

+I Promise+

"So, Sakura did her promise, yet?" Kiba asked. Gaara, Naruto, and Kiba were taking their daily walk so to speak. They were stroll around the soccer field, check out girls, crack jokes, point out guys, make more jokes, scoff at Sasuke, and then finally... Make more jokes. It was a good time.

"No," Naruto was pretty dejected. Through out Art class he had tried to make situations were Sakura would have to talk to him, and hopefully compliment him. The awaiting compliment never came. Instead Naruto got: "Naruto, can you move? You're in the way of the pencil sharpener."

Yeah... Naruto felt like he was labeled loser for the rest of the day. Hands shoved in his pockets, Naruto climbed up on the stands looking on towards the soccer field and leaned back on his elbows. Gaara and Kiba followed suit.

"Dude, maybe she's trying to even the promises out so it's not so obvious?" Kiba offered.

"What would be the point?" Gaara asked. "From the first promise Naruto would have been able to figure out who sent the rose."

"It was just a thought..." Kiba rolled his eyes, "No need to tear me a new one."

"Guys, can we not talk about this right now? I'm bummed enough as it is." Naruto said. His mood was dourly depressed and Kiba and Gaara weren't really helping the situation one bit.

"Fine, well change the subject. Oh God, here comes the Uchiha brats." Kiba pointed over to the two ravens who were leading the pack of soccer players onto the field. Sasuke was walking like a model down a runway while Itachi was dribbling back and forth with another player.

"You can see the difference between the two," Gaara pointed out dully.

"Sasuke's a prick and Itachi's a bigger prick," Kiba smirked going for a high five that no own returned. He slowly put his hand down. "I feel the love guys."

Gaara smirked, "I don't touch idiots. Their stupidity could be contagious."

"Ha ha!" Naruto whirled his finger around, barking out a sarcastic laugh.

"I hate you guys!" Kiba whined.

Naruto was barely paying attention to his friends. He was watching the raven who, not once but twice, had an awkward but not hostile run-in. Honestly, the only person who was firing dukes was Naruto. Sasuke just dodged them all like a ballerina. _'Why was he being so nice... All right, so the last two times we talked he was either mocking me or being just plain weird but he's not as bad as I thought he was.'_

Then he saw Sakura run out to the field, her hair bunched into low pigtails. It was field hockey season and her stick was clutched tightly in use hand, along with a brilliant smile on his face. A knife twisted in Naruto's stomach. Sakura was smiling, at Sasuke. Sakura was blushing, at Sasuke.

And what did Sasuke do? He nodded, shot off a few words, and then went off to the other soccer players for practice.

'I take it back,' Naruto inwardly scowled, _'He's a bastard. The fucking definition of bastard.'_

"Oi, incoming!"

"What?" before he knew it a soccer ball was coming for him. Not even thinking twice, Naruto caught the ball before it connected harshly with his face. What a rude hello that would have been.

Kiba blinked back his shock, even Gaara was a lift surprised. Time seemed to have slowed as Naruto lowered the ball.

"Damn, Naruto," Kiba let out a low whistle, "You're a beast. That's something I've only seen on the Matrix!"

Gaara smirked, "Nice."

"Eh? What's the big deal about catching a ball?" Naruto had the ball in his hands, throwing it up and catching it.

"Oi, Blondie! Wanna pass the ball?" Suigetsu, a forward, called. His pointy teeth flashed in the summer sun.

"Uhh, sure." Naruto stepped down from the bleachers, placed the soccer ball on the newly cut grass, and kicked it; hard.

The ball flew in the air and Suigetsu trapped it with his chest, bringing the ball back to his ankle. He looked back up, surveying the distance, and whistled. "Hot damn, that was some kick!"

"Blondie's got a foot," Pein, a defender, said. He rarely ever gave someone a compliment.

"Oi, I have an idea!" Suigetsu grasped the ball in his hands, a devilish smile on his face. "Why don't we let Blondie play with us? Its just tryouts and we may need another forward if Kisame can't play." Kisame was out with a knee injury from over the summer.

Itachi, team captain, crossed his arms over his chest. "That's a risky suggestion, Suigetsu. So the kid has a good kick, that doesn't automatically mean he's the next Pele."

"We won't know if he doesn't play!"

"I say we let him," Sasuke cut in. All eyes were on him, but he stood a little straighter when he saw a pair of blue eyes watching him. "It won't hurt to let him play for an hour."

The older raven simply cocked a cool eyebrow, "It's strange that you're actually getting involved in a team discussion, Sasuke."

Sasuke shrugged, "You're the one that said everyone has a fair chance of being on the team."

It took a while, but Itachi finally nodded. "Fine, he can play with us. But it he doesn't go hard he might as well walk off this field."

Sasuke nodded and without another word started jogging towards the blonde.

"Hey, the prick's coming towards yah," Kiba whispered, motioning towards the approaching raven.

"Yo," Sasuke raised a hand awkwardly.

"...Hi," Naruto said just as awkwardly.

"Oh look, Kiba, they're capable of one-word syllables." Gaara rolled his eyes.

"If we're lucky we might see Uchiha mutter a sentence," Kiba joked.

Sasuke frowned slightly, but for the most part ignored them. His attention was solely on Naruto. "The guys wanted to know if you'd play with us for an hour or so."

"Why?" Naruto was a little slow today...

"Maybe it's the fact you were able to stop a ball that was probably traveling 40 mph without even flinching or maybe because your kick was not only powerful, but also precise? We wouldn't have come to you if we didn't think you had potential."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Wow. Thanks, Uchiha. I feel good about myself now."

"Stop bitching and choose," Sasuke was getting a little testy, mostly because his teammates wouldn't stop yelling at him to hurry up. "You only have to play for an hour. Half can be spent on the field and the other half in the girl. What do you say?"

"I don't see why you don't do it," Gaara said calmly, his eyes attached to his cell he had pulled out ten minutes into the conversation. "Playing soccer's not going to kill you."

"You want Naruto to get mauled?" Kiba wasn't having it. "Dude, some of those guys are three times his size! Naruto'll get killed!"

"Thanks, Kiba. Glad to see you're concern for me." Naruto hadn't meant for it to be so sarcastic, but he didn't like how Kiba was putting him down in front of Sasuke. Maybe it was a pride thing? "You know what? I'll play with you guys."

"Great-"

"On one condition," Naruto interjected.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, but let his anger pass. Flipping out on Naruto now wasn't going to get anything done... no matter how much he wanted to. "Shoot."

"Kiba has to play, too."

If Kiba was drinking something right now, he would have down a hilarious spit take. Instead he sputtered like a fish out of water. "W-What? You can't be fucking serious, Naruto!"

"Oh I'm serious, alright." Naruto grinned evilly. "If I have to suffer through this, so do you."

"Like hell I'll join you! Why don't you ask Gaara, huh? Why do yah automatically gotta call me out?"

"I'm allergic to physical education," Gaara deadpanned. Naruto could only nod along with his redhead best friend while on the inside he was dying of laughter. Kiba's face was so funny... and Sasuke was actually smirking.

_'He has a sense of humor?' _So Sasuke wasn't a zombie after all...

"Come on you whiny little bitch," Naruto grabbed Kiba by the wrist and started to drag him down the field. "This hour will fly by, and then I'll treat you to some Ice Cream from Turkey Hill."

"Cookies N Cream, man! Nothing else or I don't do jack shit." it was good to know that Kiba could be easily persuaded if you mention ice cream.

"Of course, of course, I'll get you any flavor you want... Using the money I took from your wallet," he added the last part in rushed and quietly.

"Eh?" Kiba raised his eyebrows, "What did you say?"

"Nothing, Kiba." Naruto laughed nervously and patted his friend on the back, "C'mon, let's go and try to _not _get our asses kicked."

+I Promise+

What was supposed to be a simple one-hour session turned into three hours of back-to-back, intense soccer. The boys had split up into groups with Naruto in goal first and Kiba on the field, Juugo, a junior, was the other goalie.

"All you have to do is stop the ball from coming into the net." Sasuke instructed him. "If you're up for punting, then go right on ahead."

"Punting? That's like... when I just kick the ball out, right?" don't blame Naruto, this _was _his first time playing soccer. Hell, it was his first time playing any sport with a large group of people. Not many students wanted to hang out with the labeled freak.

"Yeah, only you want to drop the ball on your laces here and then kick up with your foot pointing down..." when he noticed the blank stare he was getting from the blonde, Sasuke sighed and motioned for Juugo to come over and demonstrate. Once Naruto saw Juugo do it a few times, he was confident he could handle playing goalie for thirty minutes.

He was rather good, to say the least. Most of the time he was catching the ball on instinct. And a few times he had kicked it out. Naruto's punts were pretty good as well. All in all he managed to catch at least 78% of the balls aimed for him.

"Not bad for a beginner, kid." Suigetsu slung his arm around Naruto's shoulder.

"And your friend over there isn't too bad on the field either." Pein wiped off the sweat from his forehead, and just for show pulled off his shirt. Why yes, a few girls _did _squeal. "He's pretty fast and he knows a few moves, too."

"Well, he did play soccer in like... grade school." Naruto stretched out his aching limbs. His knees were stained green from the grass, as where his knees since he switched from his school pants to his gym shorts.

"Why'd he stop?" Suigetsu asked. "Jesus, what a waste of talent!"

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno. He said it bored him... or something. Ask Kiba, he'll probably tell you."

"I'm not that curious," Pein said.

"I am!" Suigetsu sang like a canary.

"Leave it till after practice," Itachi snapped. "Naruto! Get in the field. Kiba, get in the box! Kamikaze soccer starts now. Pair up in teams of two and whoever wins determines what the losers have to do."

"Blondie, be on my team!" Suigetsu was already pulling Naruto to the other half of the field when a certain raven stepped in and intervened.

"No way, Suigetsu. I get Naruto."

Two sentences literally made Naruto's heart spin. Why? He had no clue. _'I don't think I've ever been fought over before in my life...' _

The midfielder whined and flashed Sasuke the bird, "Fuck off, Uchiha! I called dibs on him, first!"

Sasuke scoffed and crossed his arms, "Please. Like I'm going to value something as childish as dibs." he went for Naruto's arm and pulled him over to his side—not very gently either. "Naruto's on my team, and we're going to kick your ass."

"Oh you're on! I'll win _and _make you suffer!"

The raven had walked away by then, pulling the blonde over to an empty goal box so they could talk before Kamikaze broke loose.

"You know the rules?" Sasuke asked.

"Nope," Naruto replied. "But I can guess. All Hell breaks loose, right?"

"Hn."

"Sounds... painful," the blonde cringed. He could just _hear _the sounds of bones snapping and the game hadn't even started yet.

Sasuke shrugged, "It can be. One year a forward nearly broke his leg... and then another year a defender _did _break his leg."

"You guys are so brutal."

"Testosterone will do that to you."

Naruto couldn't help but bark out a laugh, "Was that a joke, Uchiha?"

The raven cracked a smirk, "Maybe. It's not like I'm incapable of making jokes."

"Never said you were. Just didn't expect it."

"You should lower your expectations then."

That phrase would mean a lot more in the days to come...

+I Promise+

"Uzumaki, I'm open!" Sasuke ran passed Suigetsu ready for the pass.

Naruto dribbled, and then passed the ball over to Sasuke who trapped it with his foot. He scissored passed Pein, did a rainbow over Itachi's head, and then picked up the ball and tackled Kiba into the goal—earning his team the winning point.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto whooped, pumping his fist in the air. He had no idea that he was going to win, let alone actually play good! Okay sure, he had the ball stolen from him a couple of times. And yeah, his ass _did _connect with the ground a couple of times. But other than that he could say he had fun! Even Gaara had come in for a few minutes to get in on the hellish action.

"Jesus, Uchiha!" Kiba clutched his throbbing side that Sasuke had—not so nicely—plowed into. "Way to freaking attack my kidneys! I'm sending you my hospital bills."

"Wow, Inuzaka. Who would have thought you were such a whiny bitch?" why yes, Sasuke _was _enjoying getting a rise out of Kiba.

Suigetsu was gulping down large amounts of water. He was more out of breath from that last Kamikaze game then he imagined. "Damn that blondie's something else. We gotta have him on the team, bossman!"

Bossman was Itachi, of course, and for once he could say he agreed with his psychotic teammate. "We'll have to put him through training but... I believe we could make things work. Inuzaka-san wasn't too bad, either."

"Then it's decided! They join the time. We put them through Nazi training, and we turn them into fucking beasts! Sounds great! Now I gotta pee."

As Suigetsu broke off to find the nearest port-o-potty, Naruto and Kiba were taking turns at the water cooler to replenish them. Kamikaze _was _pretty intense, you know.

"That was... pretty fun..." Kiba said in-between gulps of water. He got up from underneath the water cooler's nuzzle and wiped off any excess water from his chin. "Now I remember why I liked playing soccer so much."

"Is that enough convincing needed to get you guys on our team?" Itachi walked up to them with Sasuke in tow.

Kiba and Naruto exchanged glances. Silent communication sparked through their eyes.

"_Should we?"_

"_I don't see why not."_

Naruto nodded, "Sure, though I have to warn you guys now but my endurance sucks."

"That's fine," Itachi said. "We'll get you guys in shape, no problem."

The way Itachi smirked at the end, like a devil with a secret, made shivers jump up both Kiba's and Naruto's spine.

"What about Gaara?" Kiba asked. He didn't want to leave his friend out of all the fun.

"He wasn't too bad, but I already asked him and he declined the offer." Itachi answered.

Naruto scoffed, "Lazy ass... that's him."

A hyperactive Suigetsu who wanted to practice some moves with the brunette, leaving Naruto alone with the Uchiha brothers, soon pulled Kiba away. Awkwardness instantly surrounded the blonde. Just a few months ago he would never have imagined being in the presence of two of the most wanted boys in school. Hell, most of the time he secretly hated them behind their backs. Sasuke and Itachi had absolutely everything handed to them without even lifting a finger, Naruto had thought. Their looks, their popularity, their fortune. Being heir to the Uchiha name—one of the top businesses worldwide—certainly had its perks.

Now they were actually holding conversations. And playing soccer. And even asking Naruto to join their team. Naruto didn't know whether to pinch himself from such a dream, or just smile and go through it in stride.

"Oi, Itachi! Get yer ass over here, real quick!" Hidan, another midfielder cried.

Itachi sighed, rubbed his throbbing temples, and forced an amiable smile on his face. "I'm glad you can join. Sorry our introduction was cut short. Hidan's an idiot." he turned to Sasuke, "Can I leave you two alone and not have to worry about anyone getting mauled?"

Sasuke forced down the urge to roll his eyes. His brother could be so obnoxious with his failed attempts at being humorous. "No. You won't have to worry about a damn thing. Now go talk to your bitch."

Itachi smirked, "If you insist."

Now it was just Naruto and Sasuke. Night and day. Naruto ignored the urge to fidget. Fidgeting was a sign of weakness and honestly he didn't want to give anything away that could give Sasuke the upper hand. _'Upper hand over what?' _the blonde mentally shook his head,_ 'The prick was actually pretty civil today... And his brother wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be.'_

"Your brother's nice," Naruto, said absentmindedly.

The raven stared, scoffed, and then folded his arms. "You say that only because you don't know him."

"Devil in disguise?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Hey, Naruto!" a familiar voice cried—Sakura Haruno's voice, to be exact. Naruto felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach twist into knots. Sakura had called out _his _name, and was running towards him with Ino in tow. It was such a paradox to the blonde that he thought he was going to pass out from the lack of air flowing to his brain.

"U-Uh... H-Hey... Sakura..."

"Smooth," the blonde heard Sasuke whisper.

"Shut up!" Naruto barked-whispered.

Sakura smiled at the blonde, small but bright. "I never knew you played soccer, Naruto!"

"I... I don't," Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously and laughed. "It was a first time thing, you know?"

"Well you were great!" Sakura gushed.

"Totally," Ino nodded excitedly.

Naruto wasn't used to so much praise, and then it hit him.

_I'll give you a compliment._

Naruto's heart soared a little higher.

"Haruno, Yamanaka, get your asses back here _now_!" their field hockey couch shouted and then blew her whistle.

Sakura cringed. "Damn... I hate when she's on her period. Kurenai-sensei turns into such a bitch." she turned to both Naruto and Sasuke, "Gotta go! We'll see you guys later?"

"L-Later?" Naruto squeaked.

The pink-haired field hockey player rolled her eyes, "Well yeah. We'll probably be seeing you a lot since you're joining the soccer team." then she turned to Sasuke, and if Naruto wasn't mistaken she batted her eyelashes a little... "Bye, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto was going to ignore the blush that scarred Sakura's cheeks as she dashed away with Ino on her heels.

Once they were out of sight, Sasuke scowled, "She's so annoying."

The blonde looked flabbergasted, "What? How in the _hell _is Sakura-chan annoying?"

The raven glared at the blonde, "Please. You don't know her at all. She's like a leech."

Before Naruto could retort, Kiba slung one arm around his waist and Suigestu slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Time to hit the showers, ladies!" Suigetsu screeched.

"Let's go, Naruto!" Kiba hollered. "And don't you dare drop the soap!"

"Or you'll get butt raped!" Suigetsu added after Kiba and the two broke out in hysterics.

Sasuke face-palmed. "Great... they've bonded. The world's probably going to explode now."

+I Promise+

Ten slaps to the butt by a towel, three close in counters with Suigetsu's large anatomy Naruto would have been happy never seeing again, and two moments when he thought Kiba was testing his sexuality later and Naruto was finally out of the shower. Water clung to his tanned skin as he grabbed a fluffy white towel and wrapped it around his midsection.

At that moment Sasuke had stepped out in his entire towel clad glory, and Naruto thought his breathing had stopped. He never noticed how _toned _the raven was until he had seen him half-naked and…wet.

Naruto gulped. _'Damn… that's like… not even fair.'_

The raven looked up, a smirk dancing on his face. "Take a picture, Dobe. It'll last longer."

A blush took over Naruto's face, "S-Shut up, asshole! I-I wasn't staring…" _'Dammit, why am I stuttering? Why am I so freaked out?'_ All good questions to ask.

"Right," Sasuke drawled, walking over to his duffle bag and pulled out a white v-neck and black sweatpants. His hands came to wrap around his towel and Naruto nearly flipped.

"No!" he shouted. "Don't you dare take off that towel, Teme!"

Ignoring Naruto's protests, Sasuke gripped the towel and let it drop to the floor revealing… his black boxers.

Naruto thought he was going to pass out.

Sasuke simply smirked and said nothing more, pulling on his sweatpants and then putting on his shirt. The amusement danced obnoxiously in his onyx eyes.

'_I'm such an idiot,'_ Naruto castigated, grabbing his own school uniform and slipping it on, a pair of black jeans and a white, button-up t-shirt. _'He's just teasing me and I'm freaking out.'_

"You know, you're pretty funny when you spaz out like that," Sasuke said.

"I wasn't spazzing!"

"You're also funny when you act stupid."

"I hate you," Naruto glowered.

Sasuke shrugged, "Actually, I wanted to tell you that you played well today. For a first timer you have a lot of skill. Though your dribbling, shots, and moves can use a little work but…" a twitch of the lips, "with my help, you could probably start in a game one day."

Naruto didn't want to admit it, but his heart sort of shot up at the prospect of actually starting first in a game. Sure, he wasn't too keen on working with Sasuke during practices but… right now Sasuke wasn't being too much of a bastard… well…

"Wait, was that a compliment?"

"It surely wasn't an insult," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"O-Oh…" well, this was new. "Wait, are you offering to train me, or something?"

"You ask a lot of stupid questions."

"Just freaking answer me, Uchiha!"

"Yes, Uzumaki. I'm saying I'll help you out. Now would you like a cookie?"

Naruto glared at the smirking raven who was hoisting his duffle bag over his shoulder, "I hate you!"

Sasuke was clutching onto the door handle, turned his head around, and smirked that annoying smirk that got Naruto's blood pumping. "Tomorrow, after school, meet me in this locker room. Wear something that's easy and lightweight to run in. Also, work on that habit you have of asking stupid questions. It's not very appealing."

The door slammed shut, leaving Naruto to swim in Sasuke's words.

_I'll give you a compliment._ The promise should have added: _Oh, and I'll make sure to kick you in the shins a little, too._

* * *

><p>Welp, that's it c: <strong>Leave a review, please! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reviews save baby pandas... somehow 8D!<strong>


	3. Third Promise

Gaaaah, I love you all so much -makes heart with hands- I WANT TO MARRY YOU ALL! Esepcially you over there... Yeah, you know who I'm talking about ;). You guys are way too good for me! Twenty-seven reviews already? Gosh, I could just die from the happiness! Thank you **SO** much for reviewing and adding this to your favs/ alerts. You gave me enough initiative to update earlier than I planned (:

**Warning: The usual, so much swearing (that's a lie, I'm toning down a little ;D), so much stupidity, but that's why we love Naruto C:**

**Disclaimer: HELL YEAH I - DON'T - OWN NARUTO!**

Enjoy xD!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: Third Promise<strong>

**+I Promise to give you what you want+**

The next day, as was becoming the norm, Naruto opened his locker and found a rose dangling in mid-air. And with the rose, there was the normal note tied to the stem.

"This is starting to get creepy," Kiba said as Naruto gently pluck the rose and opened up the letter.

"No," Gaara leaned up against a locker, "this was creepy from the get go. Now it's just getting annoying."

"Can you guys quit it?" the blonde snapped. His heart was hammering really loudly right now and he would love to read the promise in peace without his two friends being cynical about it. "I'm trying to read Sakura's note here!"

The redhead couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Naruto, let's be realistic here. If Sakura was the one giving you these promises and roses, and you've seen her complete them every time, don't you think she would have revealed herself by now or even the first time?"

"Hate to admit it, Blondie, but Gaara has a point." Kiba had grabbed the note that read _I promise to give you what you want _and shook his head. "These things are really straightforward. What would be the point of being anonymous if you'll figure it out so easily?"

"Maybe she's betting on Naruto being as big of an idiot as people say he is," Gaara said with a smirk.

Naruto fumed, stamping his feet on the tiled floor as he tried to get back the note from Kiba. "You guys just _always _have to find ways to pick on me, don't you?"

Kiba grinned evilly, "It's what best friends do, man. So stop whining and deal with it."

+I Promise+

Once again Art class dragged on as Naruto waited impatiently for Sakura to complete her promise. It was one of the few things Naruto looked forward to. He sighed wistfully, playing how he imagined the scene going down today over and over again in his mind. The scene was the part of the movie you just couldn't help but rewind and watch over and over again—it was just that good.

"_Naruto... I-I've wanted to tell you something... for a long time."_

In his mind, Naruto was confident and strong. He had better looks (his self esteem was a little low) and knew the right words to say in any situation.

Naruto smiled, _"What is it, Sakura-chan?"_

"_I... I think I'm—"_

"Do you have horrible hearing or do you just like to ignore me?"

Naruto was rudely snapped awake from his blissful daydream by a certain raven that was holding a tub of paint with a small scowl on his face. The blonde blinked a few times, slowly coming back into reality, before narrowing his eyes. "It's the second part."

Sasuke glared but scoffed off Naruto's comment. "Short attention span?"

"Bite me, Uchiha!" falling into such a banter was becoming a common thing between the two over the past two days. Naruto still had no idea how they progressed from complete strangers to insulting partners but he couldn't say he was complaining... too much.

"I don't want to get rabies..." without even asking Sasuke pulled up an empty stool and sat beside the blonde.

"No! Get away!" Naruto whisper-shouted (oh, an oxymoron...), trying to push the raven away from him. Sasuke didn't even budge. "You're gonna get me in trouble, asshole!"

"Idiots only get themselves in trouble."

"FUCK YOU, UCHIHA!"

"Naruto!" a paintbrush smacked Naruto right in the face; it left a line of blue paint criss-crossing with his whiskers. "How many times do I have to tell you to work _silently _in my class? Do you want me to skin your ass?"

"No, Sensei!" Naruto sat up a little straighter. He really didn't want to be on his Art teachers hate list any more than he was... his teacher was fucking _scary_.

The blonde didn't have to _see _the smirk on Sasuke's face to know it was there. The air around him _screamed _he was enjoying being right.

"Don't you dare say _it_." Naruto hissed, grabbing a blank white sheet of paper and a pack of colored pencils. He needed to draw something. One, because he had the urge, and two he needed a distraction from the lump growing in his stomach and the raven pecking at his shoulder.

"Say what?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"You know what!"

"No, I don't think I do."

Naruto groaned, he could see in Sasuke's eyes that he knew _exactly _what Naruto was talking about. 'I told you so' was what he could see dancing on the tip of Sasuke's tongue. He wanted to rip his tongue out and burn it... over a grill. "What do you even want, Uchiha?" Naruto asked exasperatedly.

"I can't just come over to say hi?"

"No, of course not." Naruto deadpanned.

The raven sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right, fine. Being amiable is getting me nowhere." he released his nose and sat up a little straighter. "You better not bail from practice, dead last. Today starts your training. After warm-ups, meet me at Field 15. It's behind the field the team normally practices on. It's still tryouts, so we're going to need to get you in shape before we think about letting you play with the others."

"I played with them yesterday."

"You played with a select _few_," Sasuke stressed. "The rest of the team is brutal. There's a reason why we're called "The Demons from Other Side"."

Sasuke had a point there, Naruto admitted. He sighed and pulled out another colored pencil—bright red. "Fine. I'll meet you there. Anything else I need to know?"

The raven scrunched his eyebrows, a habit, Naruto noticed; he did when he was thinking. How he saw that so quickly… Naruto didn't want to think too deeply on that. "Do you have shin guards and cleats?"

"Uhhh…"

He sighed, "It's fine. You can borrow mine. I always carry spares."

"Oh you're so prepared," Naruto rolled his eyes.

Sasuke scoffed, "I'll remember that for later on today."

Naruto gulped. _'Oh shit…' _

+I Promise: Not What You Would Expect+

"So," pass, "what's up with," another pass, "you and Uchiha?" Kiba trapped the ball, popped it up with his foot and captured it with his inner thigh.

Naruto sighed and started to stretch his calves. "For the last time, Kiba, there's nothing going on between me and the bastard!"

"Riiiight," Kiba dropped the ball by his feet and delivered a pass. Naruto trapped it somewhat effortlessly. "That's why you guys had a solid conversation for the entire period."

"It's not like I _wanted _to talk to him. He wouldn't leave me alone!" Naruto defended. He dribbled the ball in-between his feet—a little technique Kiba had told him about before practice—before passing it over to the brunette.

"Naruto, please, I've seen you bitch at people like there was no tomorrow. Taking care of Uchiha should have been no problem for you."

"Have you actually _talked _to him before? No! I don't think you have. That dude is _annoying_."

"Legit?" Kiba passed the ball.

Naruto trapped it and nodded, "Straight up."

"Uzumaki! Get your fucking, skinny ass up on field 15 now! If you're late I'll have you fucking run laps till you puke and die!"

"Crap!" Naruto broke out like all of Hell was chasing him, running up the hill that would lead him to Field 15.

"Good luck, bro!" Kiba called after him.

He was greeted with the bird, mighty and tall.

+I Promise+

"I… can't… freaking… do this!"

"Yes you can."

"No… I… can'….t"

"If I say you can do something, you can. And you will."

Naruto's heart was almost on the verge of exploding, bloods, guts… glitter. Okay, maybe not glitter, but you get the point. His lungs were finding it harder and harder to breathe. And if Sasuke yelled at him one, more, gosh darn time…

"Uzumaki! Hurry it up!"

Naruto whirled around; ready to tear Sasuke a new one, when he lost his footing, stumbled, and tripped. The ground gave was ready to give him a nice little hello when he felt an arm wrap securely around his waist—stopping such a fate from becoming true.

"Dobe!" Sasuke hissed, digging his fingers into the blonde's side. Naruto squeaked. "Pay attention! What if that happened in a game, huh? We'd lose the ball _and _a player!"

The blonde was trying to think over Sasuke's yelling, and the sound of his heart hammering against his ribcage. "Well maybe if you didn't _yell _at me like a fucking Nazi then I wouldn't have lost my concentration!"

"I yell because I want you to become better! Excuse me if I want to bring out the best in you."

"The… best in me…?" okay, it was a little hard to stay mad at someone who tells you _that_. Especially if you were someone like Naruto, who was rarely ever praised or commented on great he _could _be. It was always how horrible he was.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "You're not worthless, so that's why I yell. Because I know you can do more than what you're giving me."

And just when he thought his heart was finally starting to calm down… it had kicked right back up again.

With little effort Sasuke helped Naruto up and threw him a soccer ball. "We've wasted too much time. So we're moving on to kicks. You should be pretty decent, right?"

"U-Uh… yeah," Naruto was a little shaken up by Sasuke's earlier confession but by the time the two had jogged over to the soccer goal, the thought had moved to the back of his mind. It was still there, mind you, but he was going to think about it later…

"Five balls," Sasuke was standing in the middle of the arc while Naruto was plotted on the half-line. "Three will be passed to your dominant foot, the other to your left foot. I'll test you on your accuracy, not your power, for the first few shots. So go easy and concentrate."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde bounced on the balls of his feet, shook out his limbs, and focused on nothing but net.

The raven smirked, "Alright then," he backed up a few spaces, narrowed his eyes on the target, then shot a pass towards Naruto. "Show me what you've got then, dead last."

+I Promise+

Five balls scattered haphazardly around and one blonde tangled up in the goal net later…

"… You suck," Sasuke said with a wild smirk on his face.

"Shut up and help me down, Teme!"

+I Promise+

Finally, practice was over and Naruto collapsed on the grass with a tired brunette in tow.

"It was like I've just walked through Hell…" Kiba looked up at the rolling cotton clouds in the sky, "I don't know how I survived…"

"You've got luck, man." Naruto wiped his sweaty forehead, swatting his bangs off his forehead that had glued onto his skin.

"And Jesus," Kiba wheezed. "Don't forget Jesus."

Suigetsu and another soccer player, Deidara—he was a midfielder—leaned over the dying blonde and brunette.

"You guys are fucking wimps!" Deidara had his long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail with a blonde bang covering his right eye—like a motherfucking pirate, yo! "You only had to run for twelve minutes! What's the big deal?"

"Are… you guys… freaking insane?" Naruto panted out. He couldn't believe the incredulous situation he had put himself into… again.

"They're monsters, man! Aliens!" Kiba was getting a little delirious from the heat, lack of water, and tiredness aching his limbs.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and lightly kicked Kiba in the side. "Don't spew out shit that ain't true. Just 'cuz you guys can't run to save your lives doesn't mean we're superhuman."

"Welll," Deidara drawled, "I'm a little iffy on Fishface—that's Kisame just so yah know. No human being should have blue skin, man!"

"Or shark like whiskers," Suigetsu nodded.

"Or shark teeth for fuck's sake!"

"Water…" Naruto and Kiba groaned in unison. On any other day they would have been rolling on the floor dying from the comedy that seemed to pour out of these two at unlimited amounts. But water would have been _really _great right then.

"Coming through," Pein said quietly. He pushed passed the two older players and poured the remaining contents of the cooler on the younger players.

"Oh my God… it's raining!" the brunette stretched his limbs up high, accepting the blessing.

"I think… he's high," Naruto said, sitting up and shaking the water droplets out of his hair.

Deidara chuckled before spotting a spot of pink out of the corner of his eye. "Oh crap…don't look now." He shielded a part of his face, "Pinkie's coming… and she's smiling."

"The devil's spawn?" Suigetsu gasped. "No way! I thought she was on leave for Hell."

"Apparently her love for Sasuke was enough to bring her back… But wait. Why is she coming over _here_?"

Dropping his glare to colder degrees once he noticed Sakura really _was _coming towards them, Naruto's minds switched into overtime—completely forgetting the heinous comments Deidara and Suigetsu were throwing just a few seconds ago.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura smiled, waving her hands as she came up to the blonde.

"Hey… Sakura." _'Why am I so shy? Man up, Uzumaki!'_

"How was your first day of tryouts?"

"Eh… they weren't too bad," Naruto shrugged it off like it was no big thing. "I've practiced a lot and my kicks are pretty powerful."

"Now if only you could aim them for the net…" Kiba muttered.

Naruto kicked him in the shin.

The field hockey player giggled, "I remember the first time I played soccer. My kicks barely got anywhere! Ugh, it was so embarrassing."

"You play soccer?" Naruto was genuinely surprised. He had never seen Sakura featured in the team picture for girl's soccer.

Sakura nodded, "Not for the school, though. For club."

"Ohhh…" the water droplets plopped on his shirt as he nodded.

The pink-haired girl frowned slightly and patted the blonde's wet mop. She had no idea that just one, simple touch from her made the blonde's heart explode into a love-struck mess and caused a wild blush to take over his face.

"Oh sweet Jesus," he heard Kiba groan. "Help the boy now."

"I don't think I've ever seen someone's face get _that _red." Suigetsu said in awe.

"Shit! Where's my camera phone when I need it?" Deidara wailed.

Ignoring everyone's comments, Sakura opened up her duffle bag to search for something. When she had finally found the item she was looking for—a light pink towel with flowers embedded on the corners—she gently placed the towel around the blonde's shoulders.

"I don't know what happened but here, you can use my towel." She smiled softly, "Don't let those guys get to you!" Ino was calling for her, so she had to keep her visit short, "You can give that back to me when you're ready! See yah around, Naruto!"

Sapphire eyes followed the pink-haired girl until they could no longer see her form. If they had such the vision, they would have seen Sakura talking a certain raven, purposefully bumping into him so conversation could ensue. But Life seemed to be kind today and let Naruto's bubble of happiness expand to the size it was now.

'_She gave me her towel…' _though he'd have to return it eventually. _'I have her towel…' _his heart was pretty much threatening to just keel over soon due to all this excitement. He buried his face in the towel and breathed in the scent he could only smell and swoon over from a mile away. _'It smells just like her…' _

"Love makes people blind," Kiba said prophetically, an almighty tone sprinkled on his words.

"Do yah think we should warn him?" Suigetsu asked, a little worried.

"Don't you see his eyes?" Deidara pointed at the hearts literally streaming down Naruto's face and shook his head. "The boy's damned. All we can do is save up the beer for when his heart's broken."

"Too bad he's not gay."

"What a shame."

Naruto didn't care what they said. Their words simply flew through one ear and out the next, falling onto the ground and mixing in with the grass. Sakura's scent made him feel so high…

+I Promise+

That night, no matter how creepy it may have been, Naruto tucked the towel close to his head and inhaled its scent deeply one more time.

"Smells just like her…" he thought dreamily as the tendrils of sleep slowly curled around his mind.

_I'll give you something you want. _

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><p>Ohhh Naruto... you little cutie x3. <strong>Reviews are always welcomed c:!<br>**


	4. What's Not There

This is short, but I know you all love me enough to let that slip ;D. Once again, thank you guys so much for your support! Uber love~ That's why I updated so early. I don't think I've even seen so much hate towards a towel though.. mwahaha, I AM twisted! Oh, and on behalf of my lovely anon-reviewer **puzzleshipper** here's how Sasuke completed the promise: He pretty much gave Naruto a feeling of _worth_. If you reread the interaction between those two from the last chapter, during soccer practice, I think you should pick up on it. Now, if any of you guys had a different interpretation, then do share ;o! I make Sasuke subtle and Sakura more... obnoxiously coincidental for a reason ;D. No worries, Naruto shall learn the truth eventually...

**Warning: Uhhh, Naruto gets a little heartbroken D: **

**Disclaimer: I love you Naruto, but I do not own you... :/**

Enjoy c:

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: What's Not There<strong>

Naruto awoke to the fresh smell of flowers blended in with citrus—Sakura's signature smell. Eyelashes slowly fluttered. Blue eyes crept open to see the world. A smile danced on his lips.

'_This is such a cool way to wake up,' _he thought as he stretched out like a cat. Today he felt like doing nothing more than doing nothing but lay in bed, smelling Sakura's towel. _'I'd probably end up high or something.' _

Sadly, Iruka walked in with a huge smile on his face. The air around him screamed, "I'm so happy! And you're going to join me!"

"Join what?"

"My breakfast extravaganza! That's what!"

Naruto begrudgingly got out of bed, being pulled all the way by an enthusiastic Iruka. "Why are you always so damn happy in the morning? Who died?"

Iruka was offended, and made it known by gasping—loudly. "What makes you think someone has to die for me to be happy?"

"I dunno. You just seem like that type of person."

Choosing to ignore his ward's stupid comments—Naruto babbled a lot in the morning, mostly nonsensical things—and forced him down into a chair. Happy tunes escaped in whistles as he flitted around the kitchen, grabbing plates and setting them on the table. He smacked Naruto's hand away from the steaming plate a few times.

"Don't touch or you'll lose your fingers."

"It's creepy how you say that all with a smile," Naruto shivered.

Iruka's smile increased. As he finally sat down to dig into his own breakfast he said, "You know how I went out last night…?"

"And then came home and crashed on the couch, drunk?" The blonde shoved down another morsel of his cheesesteak omelet.

The brunette waved his hand at the matter, "I wasn't drunk, Naruto. Just really tired! Anyway, I met someone."

"Guy or girl?"

"Hmm…"

"Wait… does that 'hmm' mean don't know his gender?"

"No. It just means I'm debating whether or not I should tell you who it is." He pondered on the thought for a moment, tapping his finger against his chin before a wicked grin crawled onto his face. "I think I'll keep you in suspense. Only until tonight, of course."

"Aww," Naruto pouted, "Why can't you tell me now?"

Iruka wagged his finger, "Now, Naruto. Where would the fun be if I told you so soon?"

The blonde sighed and pushed his food around the plate. "I swear. You get in these moods _just _to annoy me."

Iruka's smile spoke volumes. "You wouldn't be too far off."

+I Promise+

Towel—newly washed—stuffed snuggly into the confines of his book bag, Naruto bounded into school with a skip in his step.

"Seeing him this happy scares me," Gaara said as Naruto skipped right up to his locker and began fiddling with the locks.

"I dunnoo…" Kiba drawled. "Seeing a depressed blondie isn't fun, either."

As always, Naruto ignored his two best friends with a goofy smile painted on his face. He turned the lock, his hands magically moving it to where it needed to go, and unlocked it. His heart thumped and trashed loudly against his ribcage as he slowly opened his locker…

And saw nothing.

Kiba and Gaara could literally hear Naruto's heart breaking.

"Hey…" Kiba placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Maybe she's sick or something?"

"Maybe…" the blonde muttered as he closed the door shut.

Somehow, he didn't believe those words.

+I Promise+

It was the end of the day, finally, and Naruto's heart had finally reached its end. Sakura was there, at school, and she sat in art class giggling like nothing was amiss. For the first time in sixteen years Naruto wanted to snap at the girl for mistreating his heart like that. He sighed, though; realizing such an outbreak would probably get him nowhere…

Mulling around the soccer field, Naruto half-heartedly passed the ball to Kiba.

Kiba trapped the ball and planted two hands firmly on his hips. "Now, that was a loser pass. Where's the spirit?"

"Down the crapper," Naruto shot back. "Along with my day."

"So she missed one day?" Kiba passed the ball. "You're not going to commit suicide or something, are yah?"

"Well…" the ball rolled a little ways from Naruto

"Dude!"

"I was kidding… Jeesh!" the blonde jogged for the ball, used a cut, and then passed it to the brunette. A little fancy trick he learned from the Uchiha.

"You better have been, or else I'll kick your ass so hard, you'll never be able to sit down again!"

Before Naruto could shoot his own retort, Deidara along with his "fuck-mate", as he called it, Sasori jogged up to him with a bag of soccer balls and cones.

"Hey Sempais. What's up?"

"Training, that's what!" Deidara beamed proudly, though Naruto could see a little sadistic twinkle in his visible blue eye… "Little Raven isn't here today, so we'll be your trainers for the day."

"The bastard's not here? That's new."

"It's an Uchiha thing," the normally silent Sasori said. When he failed to elaborate on anything Naruto knew he wasn't going to get anything else from the redhead.

Kiba clutched his "aching" heart and moaned, "Oh no! Don't take my Naruto away! My heart can't handle the separation!"

"Grow a pair, Inuzaka!" Deidara barked. He grabbed onto the smaller blonde and started to yank him away. "I made sure you wouldn't be too lonely, though! Suigetsu promised to practice with yah." He called over his shoulder before he, Naruto, and Sasori disappeared over the hill.

"Oh _Inuzaaaka~ _Come get in the net! I'm feeling feisty!"

Kiba gulped, _'Oh FML…' _

+I Promise+

It was a hellish practice. Sasori was secretly a devil in disguise and Deidara apparently had a thing for lacing the cones with mild explosives. So if Naruto were to say, dribble the ball accidently into the cone, not only would the ball be hit—and on some occasions explode—Naruto's leg would end up with either a nasty sting or bruise. And that was only the first half of practice.

"You people are _evil_!" Naruto yelled, thoroughly exhausted. He was spread on the ground, lying on his belly, and hoping an angel would come and whisk away his breaking soul. He didn't think he _ever _be the same after that work out.

Deidara smirked, "We know."

Sasori simply shrugged, but a smirk was on his face too. "Next time don't run into the cones. We don't want your leg blowing off."

"I'm not the one who said: 'Oh hey! Let's rig the cones with explosions! It'll be fun!'."

"And it _was _fun." Deidara said. "Well, for us anyways." He checked his watch. "Oops, looks like practice is already over. You did good today, kid. Though Sasuke's probably going to bitch about the lack of cones…"

"Again," Naruto cried, "not my fault!"

After Sasori and Deidara managed to peel Naruto's half-dead body from the ground, all three soccer players trudged down the hill. Jokes were thrown here and there. A few sexual comments had to be tossed in the air, too. And for a while, Naruto had finally forgotten about the little cracks that appeared in his heart from his disappointment.

And then he saw Sakura again and the cracks grew deeper and longer.

"The bitcheth comeths!" Deidara stage-whispered.

Sasori simply snorted.

"Fuck…" Naruto muttered, vaguely remembering he had Sakura's towel still in his bag and that the pink-haired field hockey player was coming _right _towards him. The blonde just wanted to spontaneously combust.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura said after finally catching up to them.

"Gotta jet, Naruto! We'll see yah tomorrow!" Deidara sang as he grabbed Sasori's hand and pulled him towards his black jeep—probably to get fucked… but that's life.

'_Ditchers!' _his mind silently screamed. His heart was just pleading for the pain to be over with so it could crawl into the depths of his body and hopefully disintegrate in his stomach acid. Okay, yeah, that's not possible of ever happening. He clutched onto the strap of his duffle bag—a present from Sasuke. A smile failed to wiggle on his face, so it was more of an upturned lip than anything else.

"Hey…"

"I was just wondering if I could have my towel?"

"Sure." He dug into his bag, reluctantly gripping onto the towel and handing it over to Sakura.

"Thanks!" she beamed, but then the light died in her eyes. "Isn't Sasuke-kun here? I haven't seen him all day."

Naruto shrugged, "It's family stuff. Itachi's not here either."

"Oh…" she nodded slowly before she pointed something out. "Hey, you look a little sad. Something wrong?"

'_Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I like you so much but you've just stabbed my knife with your long, pink nails.' _Naruto thought sarcastically. His dark thoughts were clouds warring over his body. He tried to calm himself down. To put on a happy disposition and just bear through this conversation, but nothing was working. He inwardly sighed and mentally slapped a fake smile on his face. "Nope. Everything's A-Okay!"

She stared at him for what seemed to be hours. Naruto fidgeted. He felt like he was being placed underneath a microscope. Finally, Sakura smiled and patted Naruto's arm. "If you say so. I'll see you later, then?"

Naruto nodded, watching Sakura's form disappear from sight. He ignored the burning sensation that tore at his skin from where Sakura touched him.

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><p>We all know Iruka's lover is Kakashi ;). I don't know when I'll bring him into the story though. I'll see if I can wiggle him into the plotline. Anywho, as always, <strong>keep the reviews coming c:! We're saving baby pandas! Since this was so short, I'll probably update again tomorrow... but who knows ;). <strong>

Till next time :,D! Oh yeah.. by the way... **SHINEE IS THE BEST. AND ALICE NINE. **(: That is all. -insert humongous heart right huuurr-


	5. Fourth Promise

So far we have saved 54 pandas ;DD Let's keep it cominggg! HOORAY FOR THE BABY PANDAS! Guys, I love you so much, so I'm updating at 9:30 PM for YOU. Because you all make me so haaaapppyyy... C: Thanks for your support with the reviews (saving pandas 8D), favs, and alerts!

**Warning: Short. Again. Damn what is wrong with me? Oh well. Trust me, just two more chapters and then the truth is revealed... so deal with Naruto's adorable stupidity till then 8D**

**Disclaimer: Siiiigggh... must we go through this EVERY time? v.v**

Enjoy my lurvlies c:!

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: Fourth Promise<strong>

**+I'm Sorry+**

After one whole week Naruto's mood finally brightened up, by the color of a rose and dangling promise held by a string.

_Sorry this is so late. I promise I'll make it up to you._

—_S_

Naruto smiled, placed the rose tightly to his chest, and dashed off to class. Today was definitely going to be a good day.

+I Promise+

"You got a rose today?" it was lunchtime and Naruto was staring affectionately at the rose, twirling the flower with his thumb and index finger. Kiba was reading the note, adding an extra pitch to his voice. "Oh Naruto! I am _sooo_ sorry this is late! I promise I'll make it up to you! Mwah, mwah, kissy face!"

Snatching the note out of Kiba's hand, Naruto scowled. "It does _not _say that!"

Gaara scoffed, "Might as well have with the way you're acting. I swear, if someone sliced you open you would bleed out hearts."

"Oh! That gives me a kick ass idea for Art class!" the brunette cackled, "Way to go, Gaara!"

Naruto pouted, something he was doing a lot in front of his friends today. "Do you guys just find ways to make fun of me?"

"You make it very easy," Gaara said.

Kiba nodded and dug into his Puppy Chow (haha… lame pun). "You do."

Sighing, Naruto decided that the best way to get through the rest of lunch with friends such as these was to just eat, stare at his rose, eat some more, and then get lost in his imagination. It was a very colorful imagination that left his heart wanting more and a smile curling on his lips…

The redhead couldn't help but shake his head in slight pity for his blonde friend. "Love turns people into idiots."

Kiba popped another piece of Puppy Chow into his mouth. "Tell me about it."

+I Promise+

School was finally let out for the weekend, and although Naruto didn't have any run-ins with Sakura today, he still kept his shoulders high and a smile on his face. There were still soccer tryouts to look forward to, since today would finally be the day they learned if they made it or if their one-week of Nazi training was a waste of time.

From the beginning there were only thirty boys who tried out, but as Itachi read through the lists of names the number quickly started to dwindle down as the ones who were not called left broken and dejected. Naruto had his arm linked with Kiba's praying that the reason they were still here, sitting on the wet grass, was because their names were going to be called…

"And finally…" Itachi paused for dramatic effect, watching with amused irises as both Naruto and Kiba straightened up instantly. "… Kiba Inuzaka and Naruto Uzumaki."

"Fuck yes!" they both cheered.

"Dammit!" a not so lucky teen cried.

Naruto and Kiba hugged dramatically, streams of tears running down their face.

"Thank you, Jesus!" Kiba cried.

Deidara smirked, his arms placed on his hips. "You _really _thought you two wouldn't make it? Please! You had _me _to train your skinny little ass."

"Oh thank you, almighty soccer player, Deidara!" Naruto bowed.

"Damn straight!"

"Heeeey! I helped too!" Suigetsu slung an arm around the brunette and squeezed his cheek. "You know, for the initiation I was thinking of putting a tattoo right here…" he poked at Kiba's cheek. "What's your opinion on fangs? Red fangs—like a dog, yah know?"

Kiba gulped. Sure, he thought Suigetsu was a cool guy and funny as hell, but he wasn't digging the sadistic and twisted gleam in the older player's eyes. "Uhh… sounds… cool?"

Suigetsu grin grew even wider…

Naruto was still buzzing. This was the first time he ever tried out for a sport and got accepted onto the team. Such a foreign experience was keeping him bouncing on his toes even when Sasuke came up to him with that cocky air hanging around his shoulders.

"Someone's happy."

"Like you wouldn't believe, Teme! I can't believe I made it! I mean, yeah, you guys were training me and shit but… wow… this is the first time I've ever been on a team." Naruto laughed, feeling a little awkward after letting all that out in front of Sasuke.

The raven simply smiled—Naruto noted that was the second time he saw the small gesture appear on Sasuke's face. "You like ramen, don't you?" he asked out of the blue.

"Is that a trick question?" Yup, Naruto was pretty confused, but really, what's new?

Grabbing Naruto by the arm, Sasuke dragged him—completely against his will—to his car. It was a black Jeep with the hood pulled down. He threw their duffle bags into the back and pulled Naruto over to the passenger side. "Then get in," he commanded.

"What makes you think I'll go with you, huh? You could lead me to some brothel and sell me in the underground market!"

Sasuke looked at the blonde, long and hard, before resting his forehead against the window of his car. He muttered something obscene, counted to ten, then looked back up with the straightest face he could possibly muster. "We're going out to _eat_, you idiot! You know, food in the form of noodles and soup? This has nothing to do with your perverse fantasies!"

Naruto folded his arms and scoffed. "My 'fantasies' are completely logical."

"Just get in the fucking jeep, Uzumaki."

"Fine!" Naruto threw his arms in the air and opened up the car door, sitting down with a loud huff. "But I'm only doing it for the ramen, and because this is a good time to celebrate."

"Of course," Sasuke replied listlessly as he got into the car, turned it on, and then pulled out of his parking space.

"And you're paying for the meal. I have to warn you I pig out whenever I eat ramen." Naruto continued, watching the scenery change and blur outside his car window as they continued to drive.

"That's fine."

"… You're a beautiful little rosebud, Sasuke."

Sasuke twitched. "Don't push it." He snarled.

Naruto was silent for the rest of the ride—plus or minus a few random giggles here and there…

+I Promise+

"Where do you put it all…?" Sasuke shook his head in wonder as he watched Naruto scarf down yet _another _bowl. It was his seventh one.

Naruto slapped down his empty bowl on the wooden counter and raised his hand, "One more bowl, please!" his face was the definition of pure happiness as the Tazuna nodded his head and went to work on another bowl. Naruto swiveled on his stool to face Sasuke who had barely even finished his first bowl. "It's from years of practice, Teme. Iruka and I have been coming here since I was potty trained."

"Who's Iruka?"

"My guardian. He's sort of like a father to me."

Sasuke nodded, and for a moment Naruto thought Sasuke was going to ask for more like: "So where's your real dad?" but he didn't. Naruto was pleased by that, but also a little… deflated. _'Why would I even care if he asked or not? It's not like I want him knowing about my personal business.' _

The blonde picked up his chopsticks and dug into his eighth bowl of ramen. Silence floated around the two teens, both a little trapped in their thoughts.

'_I never thought I'd have Sasuke Uchiha taking me out for ramen. Hell, I never thought I'd be on the soccer team either but here I am.' _He took a sideways glance at the raven that was currently slurping a noodle into his mouth. The blonde couldn't help but crack a smile. _'Okay, so Sasuke isn't as much of a bastard as I thought he was.' _It's only because of the free bowls of ramen… _'And he's pretty normal too… He even helped me out during tryouts.' _

"Oh hey… thanks," Naruto said, a small blush painting on his cheeks.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"You know what…"

"No. I don't think I do."

The blonde frowned a little. Of course Sasuke had to be difficult—it was his fucking nature. "For helping me out in soccer all this week. I really appreciate it."

For the second time today Naruto saw that fabled smile so many wanted to see, but only a few got to experience. He didn't understand why his heart constricted so painfully against his chest and why it was suddenly so heard to catch his breath. He shook his head wildly; blonde wisps of hair flying about and slapped his cheek a few times.

'_Dammit… am I blushing?'_

Sasuke looked at him weirdly, but the smile was still there as he leaned forward to brush a few stray hairs from Naruto's face. "Don't mention it. What I did really isn't praise worthy but…" his smile transformed to a smirk, "I suppose for a Dobe like you, what I did was revolutionary."

And just when Naruto thought his heart was going to explode from the simple contact of skin, his heart find it easier to pump blood and instead of his mouth opened in shock it formed a deep scowl. "You know what? I take back what I thought about you. You're a bastard through and through. And… I'm buying ten more bowls!"

"Don't you dare," Sasuke hissed.

Naruto smirked evilly, "Watch me. One more bowl, Tazuna-san!"

"Coming right up!"

That night, Naruto had Sasuke pay for a meal that was equivalent of thirty bowls, but the chef felt bad for him so he lowered the price by half—which sort of bummed Naruto out but the feeling of a belly full of delicious ramen had him smiling like an idiot for the rest of the ride.

You could say that he was so content, he didn't remember about a certain, pink-haired girl never making her promise. But then again, when one part falls, another link comes in to take its place. The promise was made; it was just that one heart was a little too blinded to notice. That's fine, though. We'll get to the realization in good time… Till then:

"Fuck!" Naruto banged his head against the window.

"What?" Sasuke had his eyes on the road, but an eyebrow was cocked proudly in the air.

"I forgot to tell Iruka I would be home late! He's going to fucking hang my ass on the mantle! I am so screwed!"

Oh Naruto…

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><p>Really when I make things SO obvious Naruto is STILL oblivious. But that's why we love him... :3. LMFAO. I realized when I wrote this that Tazuna was the BRIDGE BUILDER not the freaking ramen guy... durrr... but I'm too lazy to change it, so ramen dude is forever TAZUNA!<p>

**Review, and we save one more baby panda ;)! Listen to AYO by SHINee... that's my happy song (:**


	6. Fifth Promise

Another promise, duckies c: Ha! I'm not even British and I used that word... I feel purdy cool C: I love British people... their accents are goooorgeous~ I got over ten reviews for the last chapter... so I thought "You know what, I love you all so much, I'm updating FOUR TIMES IN A WEEK". Yeah, that may or may not happen again. Depends on my mood C: My fingers are like, freezing, but I STILL update. For you guys. Because I love you. So much.

**Warning: I think this is short again. GOSH DARN IT! Chapter seven will be longer ;O. As usual, stupidity and swearing are the perfect mix. ONE MORE CHAPTER TILL THE BIG REVEAL. LE-GASP~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just these silly plots I come up with c:**

Enjoy! (Oh yeah, I have a tumblr... if you want to follow me you can :D You don't even have to have an account~Use it to put up fanfic recs if you like 8D preferably yaoi... hahaha ;DD)

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><p><strong>Chapter Six: Fifth Promise<strong>

**+I'll Sit With You at Lunch+**

Once again, Naruto was finding it pretty hard to stay focused during English class.

'_I think Ero-sensei bleached his hair again… it looks whiter than usual. Marshmallows are white too—and fluffy. They taste good when you mix them with rice krispies. Mmm… rice krispies—'_

"Naruto!" Jiraya-sensei smacked the blackboard with his ruler. "If you've stopped daydreaming, I would like you to pick up from where I left off."

"Uhhh…" Naruto slowly got up from his seat and pulled at his shirt collar. Had the room just spiked another eighty degrees or was it just Naruto? Blue eyes darted back and forth, but all he got was the silent, pitying glances from a few students along with a few blank stares as well.

"Page 32, paragraph two." Gaara whispered.

"Thank you!" Naruto whispered back. "_And __we __walked __on __the __tightrope, __hands __clasped __and __hearts __pounding. __The __crowd __wanted __us __to __fall. __Fall __to __our __deaths. __But __Light __was __calling __out __to __us__—__drawing __us __nearer. __The __Light __promises __us __many __things__—__a __new __life, __a __new __hope, __and __a __new __dream. __What __we __want, __the __Light __offers. __But __then __the __rope __snaps, __and __we __plummet__… __plummet __so __fast__—__so __hard. __And __we __realized __that __the __Light __was __only __a __lie. __That __we __cannot __take __things __at __only __face __value. __The __last __thing __I __remembered __from __that __dream __was __the __sound __of __bones __shattering __and __the __taunting __crowd.__" _

The room was silent—mostly because half the class was zoning out during Naruto's reading. Jiraya-sensei, however, was on the verge of tears and was chewing his thumbnail down to the nub. "Brilliantly read, Naruto! Now then, Hinata, please interpret that paragraph!"

As Naruto sat down, he couldn't help but read over the words he had just read. _'__And __we __realized __the __Light __was __only __a __lie. __That __we __cannot __take __things __at __only __face __value.__' _The words stuck with him all the way to lunch.

+I Promise+

"Another day, another rose," Kiba said as Naruto joined them at their usual table in the back.

"What does it say this time?" Gaara's voice held no signs of actual enthusiasm in it.

Naruto glared at his friend, "You really don't care, do you?"

"I asked you, didn't I?"

"Fine then. It says: _'__I__'__ll __sit __with __you __at __lunch.__'"_

The brunette's eyes widened like saucers. "Whoa! That's a big step there don't you think? She didn't even complete her promise from last week and now she's offering to sit with you at lunch?" Kiba shook his head in disbelief and dug into his vanilla pudding cup. "Something's not right."

"Maybe this is sort of like a part of her last promise?" hope stung through his words. "She did say she'd make it up to me."

Gaara chomped on a fry and swallowed. "I'm not buying it."

"Same here," Kiba said after eating a spoonful of pudding. "Mmm… vanilla pudding really is the best!"

Sighing, Naruto folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them. Deep down, a part of his heart knew what his friends were saying was true. It made sense, if he thought about it hard enough. _'__This __isn__'__t __the __first __time __she __didn__'__t __fulfill __a __promise __on __the __exact __day __the __rose __was __given __out. __Maybe __it __really __isn__'__t __Sakura __after__all__…' _

Just then, Sakura breezed by their table. Naruto's senses were assaulted with the smell of flowers blended in with citrus—the smell he had come to love. He sighed wistfully, his heart pounding, as he waiting for that time-stopping moment when Sakura would ask to join them for lunch…

That, sadly, never happened. All he got was a smile and a wave before Sakura joined her friends at their usual table in the middle of the lunchroom. Do you all hear that? That was the sound of Naruto's heart cracking… and cracking… and decaying…

Kiba sighed and offered the leftovers of his pudding cup. "Comfort food?"

The only response he got was a muffled wail and a few curse words.

A raven chuckled behind him. "Is he shutting down or something?"

"Don't worry about him," Gaara pulled out his binder and ripped out a blank piece of notebook paper. He had an assignment due next period and what better time to work on it than at lunch? "He suffers from mood swings at least four times a day."

"Five times if he's on his period," Kiba added in, rubbing circles on the blonde's back.

"I am not a woman!" Naruto's head snapped up like a puppet on a string.

Sasuke smirked, "Could have fooled me."

The blonde felt a rather low groan crawling up his throat as he turned around and saw the last person he wanted to see. His eyes involuntarily dashed to where Sakura was and he caught her looking… at Sasuke—not him. His heart broke a little more.

"Is there something you wanted, Uchiha?" there was no emotion in his voice, just a sigh from a very, dejected Naruto.

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow in question, turning to either Kiba or Gaara for an answer to his silent inquiry. All he got was a shrug from the brunette and not even a glance in his direction from the redhead. He inwardly sighed and gripped onto his packed lunch a little tighter. "Mind if I sit here?"

A simple shrug, "If you want." Naruto sighed.

Sasuke grunted and pulled up a chair. Once he was settled in he opened up his paper bag and pulled out the contents of his lunch: a Tupperware full of leftover lasagna, a bottle of water, and for a snack a pack of Oreos.

Kiba and Gaara both shared quizzical glances.

"_You don't think…?" _

"… _This is too much of a coincidence."_

"Hey Uchiha…" Kiba placed his spoon on his nose and hummed thoughtfully. "Why do you wanna sit with us? Don't you normally sit with that Hyuuga kid from the soccer team?"

Sasuke shrugged, opening up his lasagna and stabbing it with a fork. "His attitude annoys me. And I thought a change of scenery would be different."

"Really? What more do you want to see in the lunch room?" Gaara rested his chin in the palm of his hands.

"People…" Sasuke answered vaguely.

"Hmmm," Kiba and Gaara both hummed. Kiba broke out into a face-splitting grin as he eyed the raven's Oreos. "You know, Uchiha, if you want to sit with us you're going to have to share those Oreos you've got there…"

The raven smirked, "Not on your life, Inuzaka."

"Too bad. You don't really have an option," lunging for the Oreos, Kiba tried—and failed—to get them and came back empty handed. "Don't be a fucking hog! Share your damn cookies!"

"I don't think so." Sasuke smacked at Naruto's walking fingers that were inching near his cookies. "None for you either, Dobe."

Naruto pouted and flashed Sasuke his signature move: big, watery, blue eyes. It was the trick he used on Gaara whenever he wanted the redhead to do something for him. It worked most of the time. "Is that any way to treat a depressed person? That Oreo could be the deciding factor of whether or not my day ends up bad or good! If I have a bad day I swear I will make practice a living hell for you."

"I would take him seriously. He's an accomplished whiner." Gaara said.

Onyx eyes clashed with blue eyes, one studying and the other was pleading. Finally, it seemed that Sasuke couldn't win against Naruto's big, blue eyes and pulled out an Oreo for him. "Here, take it."

"Fuck yeah!" Naruto took a celebratory chomp of his newly acquired cookie.

Kiba pouted and leaned back in his seat with his arms folded. "This is so not fair! Why does Naruto get the fucking cookie?"

"It's favoritism," Gaara said, packing away his recently finished homework.

"That, and I find Naruto less annoying to deal with." Sasuke quipped.

"Ha! Suck on that, Kiba!" and just to make his point, Naruto balled up the empty Oreos' wrapper and threw it at Kiba.

Kiba slapped the offending paper away. "I hate you all! You fucking suck!"

Naruto died with laughter, watching his friend stomp away to the trashcan in a huff. It was weird. A few minutes ago he was mulling over the broken promise, but now he was rioting over Kiba's pain. _'__Oreos __are __magical __cookies,__' _Naruto thought.

Really, ignorance is a truly blissful thing, huh?

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><p>WHAT? NARUTO'S A WOMEN? NO WAY! Ha, kidding o.o. But man I do love the interactions ;DD. They make me smile when I read over them (: haha. <strong>Leave a review for the pandas! And follow my Tumblr if you haven't already. Link's on my profile. You don't have to be signed up too followleave stuff on there c:**


	7. Sixth Promise

Eighty-two reviews? LEGIT? You all just want to kill me with your love, don't you o.o? I nearly DIED of happiness, guys. Died... -insert epicness here- So I must reward you all with an update, huh? xD You all just want me to update earlier than planned... I SEE THROUGH YOUR EVIL SASUNARU-LOVING WAYS~

**WE'VE SAVED SO MANY BABY PANDAS** -tears up- Feel like drawing a panda now... o_o

And thanks to **operagirl76 **for catching my typos... lawl.. I am the typo queen, v.v.

**Warning: Welp, the "truth" is finally revealed. About time... c.c **

**Disclaimer: I OWN MY NARUTO UNDIES AND PANTIES! LMFAO. I kid, I don't even have such things... though that would be cool...**

Enjoy my beautiful readers!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Sixth Promise <strong>

**+I'll Make Myself Known To You+**

The blond was a bouncing ball of sunshine, rainbows, unicorns, pretty little flowers—you know, the works. Why, you wonder? Well, of course it's because of a certain promise Naruto received this morning...

"You've got to be shitting me," Kiba shook his head in disbelief as he popped open his water bottle and poured the water over his head. He shook the water out of his hair. "She did _not _say that."

"She did!" Naruto jumped on the balls of his seat—excitement was pumping haphazardly through his veins. "Sakura's going to tell me she's my secret admirer!"

"I don't believe it. Why would she do that after the past week? She blew off her promise to sit with you at lunch!"

"I already forgave her for that," the blond waved the matter away with his hand. Practice was over, and as usual, both Kiba and Naruto were wondering how their bodies managed to survive such hellish practices without completely giving up on them.

Naruto was running on the energy of happiness through out the whole practice. Knowing that today would _finally_be the day he'd get together with his childhood crush, Sakura, made his kicks extra powerful, his sprints even faster, and his endurance kick up a notch. Blinding love was the drug that just kept Naruto going and going... and going.

The brunet held in a groan. He was happy for his best friend, really, but he couldn't help but feel a little sick in his stomach. "I'm happy for you, dude, but can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead." Naruto shrugged, a goofy smile was hanging off his face. "S'not like you've waited for my permission to do something before."

Kiba chuckled. Naruto had a point there. "Okay, so what if this secret admirer _wasn't_Sakura... what would you do?"

"Dramatically speaking or realistically speaking?"

"Realistically speaking."

"Hmm..." Naruto scratched at his chin. His mind painted his imagination—the scene of the dreaded moment being filled in with paint buckets of colors and emotions. He could see his admirer, but it was not the girl he wanted it to be. In all honesty... it was a certain raven with piercing onyx eyes and a terribly handsome smirk... "You know... I think I'd cry."

Kiba huffed, "I asked for you to be realistic, bitch!"

"And I'm telling you what I'd seriously do, you whore!" Naruto snapped.

"Legit?"

Naruto nodded, "Straight up." and that was that. If Naruto was going to be truly honest with himself, a small part of him seemed to be... content with the outcome his imagination painted. It wouldn't be terribly bad—more surprising than anything else. Sure, his heart would be crushed if Sakura wasn't his admirer, but if it were, let's say, Sasuke who had been giving him those roses and fulfilling promises, Naruto didn't know he would act.

And that was just plain _scary_.

"Hey guys!" Suigetsu jogged over to them with a smile the two of them have come to known as "Why yes, I am up to something. Thanks for asking". Gaara was right behind him since he normally stayed to watch practice and sometimes manage the players—he was surprisingly good at telling people what to do.

"Yo, Suigetsu. What's up?" Naruto asked.

"Well, tonight we're having a party. You know, it's for all the Spring sports teams who made it. We have one every year aaaandd..." he held his breath for dramatic effect, "You guys are invited!"

The brunet's eyes were sparkling firecrackers as he jumped up and down, hollering away. "No way, you being legit, Suigetsu? Don't you fucking lie to me or I'll kick your ass!"

"Would I lie about a party? Hell no! And stay away from my ass, it's too beautiful for you to handle." Suigetsu smirked and whipped out his cellphone. "Here, give me your numbers and I'll text you the deetz." numbers exchanged, Suigetsu stuffed his cellphone in his pocket and flashed the three a peace sign, telling them he'd see them at the party tonight.

"You know what I just realized...?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Hmm?" Kiba had shoved a stick of chocolate Pocky in his mouth and was sucking away at it as the two walked down to the parking lot to pile in Gaara's car—he was the only one with a vehicle at the moment as Kiba's totaled his and Naruto didn't have one.

"Sakura's going to be at that party! Dude's, this is the moment I've been _waiting_ for!" Naruto jumped into the passenger seat—since it was his week of radio privileges (Gaara made it a rule that whoever sat in that seat had the right to listen to what they want, when they want, and no one could bitch about it). His hands fiddled with the radio dial and blasted FM 97 that was, coincidentally playing Naruto's favorite song: _Stereo __Hearts._

Gaara managed to hold back an eye roll as he piled into the driver's seat and stuck the key into the ignition. "Don't you think you're a _little _too optimistic for this? There's a huge chance it's not Sakura."

"And there's the even _bigger _chance it's Sakura! Don't try to knock me off my Happy Stool."

"Happy Stool?" Gaara looked up into the rearview mirror, cocking his non-existent eyebrow to the brunet in the back.

Kiba chomped off a piece of his Pocky. "Hell if I know. Kid makes up new shit everyday it's so hard to keep track."

Gaara shrugged. Fair enough. "As your friend, I just want you to be careful. The higher you get your hopes up, the more pain you're going to feel once their crushed."

"I know, I know," the blond let out an exasperated sigh. He hated hearing his friends talk like this—with logic and reason, with his best intentions in mind—but he would like some support here! His heart was on the verge of failing from all the nervousness clawing at his body that he thought he was going to die—right there and then. His mind would fly forward to the future, thinking about what would happen at tonight's party. Just the thought of hearing Sakura say: _"__I __love __you, __Naruto.__" _made his body feel all tingly...

The rest of the ride was silent except for Gaara's radio blaring songs and Kiba randomly breaking out into song if he heard one he knew—which was a lot. When they finally reached Naruto's apartment, the blond grabbed his things and exited the car, mumbling a goodbye that was cut off by the sound of Gaara's door slamming.

Gaara didn't say anything until he saw Naruto's figure disappear into the house. He rested his head against the steering wheel and sighed. "I have a bad feeling about tonight..."

Kiba nodding, fishing out his fifth Pocky stick and sliding it into his mouth. "How much do you want to bet Naruto's in for one hell of a surprise?"

"I'm not that cruel, Kiba. I don't make bets on puppy love. But who knows..." he shifted the car into drive and started for Kiba's house. "Maybe Naruto won't be as hurt as we think he'll be."

"We can only hope, huh?"

+I Promise+

"Naruto!" Iruka was beaming, sparkles were literally flying out of his eyes. Naruto was almost tempted to walk right back out of the house. A happy Iruka was _always _scary to deal with. "I'm glad you're back! Dinner tonight is going to be _reaaally _special—and before you open your mouth: No. No one has died, is dying, or has been dead."

Naruto smiled despite his melancholic mood. "Well that's good." he placed his duffle bag by the front door and toed off his cleats. "So why the special dinner, then?"

His guardian didn't say anything except for a smile that Naruto knew meant the man had something up his sleeve. Iruka walked out of the room, only to bring in another person linked with his arm. A person, Naruto might add, he knew _very _well.

"Kakashi-sensei? What the hell are _you _doing here?" Yup. Naruto's mind was straight up blown.

"Ah, hey there, Naruto." Kakashi lazily waved his hand. "Fancy seeing you here."

"This is my _house_. And you never answered my question."

"I thought the answer was obvious." at Naruto's blank stare, Kakashi sighed and sent Iruka a look. "Is he always this slow?"

The brunet hung his head in shame, "Sadly..."

"Hey!" Naruto was in the process of getting ready to throw his shinguard at Kakashi and Iruka. "Just answer my question, dammit!"

"Well if you must know," Kakashi drawled, wrapping an arm around Iruka's waist. And just in case Naruto was too dense to receive that message, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Iruka's cheek. "Do you get it now? Iruka and I are together."

Naruto blinked... the gears slowly turning in his head—the ice thawing off the iceberg. It took a while, but he finally understood the message they were trying to send. "No way... You mean it's _him_?"

"Yup!" Iruka chirped, a fierce blush taking over his face.

The blond rubbed at his forehead and slapped his own cheek a couple of times. "Iruka, you better have cooked a five-star dinner or else I will not accept this!"

Needless to say, Iruka's dinner was pretty banging, and Naruto had no other choice than to accept their relationship, although the acceptance was _very _reluctant.

"You better make him happy, Kakashi, or else I'll come after you." Naruto warned. His choice of weapon: a fork.

It was cute, really, to see Naruto show how much he cared for his guardian. Kakashi couldn't help but smile a little as he ruffled the blond's flattened hair. "Don't worry. I'll make Iruka the happiest he's ever been."

+I Promise: Drunken Fun+

"Wait, wait, wait—hold the phone. You're trying to tell me that Iruka and Kakashi-sensei hooked it up?" Kiba shook his head and took another gulp of his beer. "I don't believe it! Is Iruka being drugged? Blackmailed?"

"No and no," Naruto sighed sadly. "Iruka's really happy with him—though I don't know _why_."

"The man openly reads porno books like, everyday!"

"I know! That's what I told Iruka! All he did was laugh and say: 'But that's what makes him so cute.' I literally barfed." The party held for the Spring sports team was already in full swing. Music was turned up to obnoxious volumes, the bass literally shaking every bone in Naruto's body. Drinks were passed all around, glow sticks were the lightning bugs that illuminated parts of the room and told you where people were, and people were dancing—like horny, drunk monkeys.

Kiba took another sip, "That's insane."

"But he's happy, right?" Gaara was the designated driver of the night, so he opted to not drink. Granted he didn't _like _alcohol so really, what did it matter?

A small smile teased Naruto's lips—though it could have came up from the slight buzz the alcohol was giving him, too. "Yeaaah... as long as he's happy, Kakashi gets to live."

"Naarrruu, Kiibuuu!" Suigetsu slurred. He was already smashed from a shot contest that happened not too long ago. His walk was severely jaded and Naruto could see that nobody was home in his eyes. "Ay you sexy beasts, why you being wallflowers?"

"I'm afraid if I go in there a virgin I'll come out there violated," Gaara answered for the three of them.

"Violation is _fun_ though!" suddenly, the older soccer player had his arm around both Kiba's and Naruto's shoulders and was dragging them to the throng of the dance floor. Bodies meshed and molded together in a combination of sweats, gasps, and strangled moans.

_'I don't think I've ever seen so much horny teenagers in one place.' _

A body he could only dream of having—and knew he'd never get—was suddenly pressed up against him, grinding and molding with his body. Naruto bit on his bottom lip, the shocked gasp coming out in a strangled whimper. Who would have thought that Sakura Haruno would be grinding on _him_?

_'Don't pop a boner. Don't pop a boner. Please, don't pop a boner!'_

"Uhh... um... Sakura...?" Naruto had to scream for his voice to be heard—after all the music was currently attempting to break the sound barrier.

Sakura looked up at him with muddy, green eyes and a loopy grin on her face. "You wook so hot!" she slurred, pressing her body up against Naruto's even more—if that was even possible.

The blond gulped. Nervousness was circulating through his body, as were the hormones that were exploding every inch of sanity he possessed. His fingers itched to grip at those fine, curvy hips he could only stare at from afar. His hips wanted to meld with her backside and simply get lost with her body in the music—to get lost in the heat. _'M-Maybe __this __is __her __way...__of __telling __me?' _It never hurts to dream, right?

Well, you're wrong. Horribly, terribly, like you wouldn't believe, wrong. Because just a few drunken sentences could seriously crack your heart.

"Mmm, Swasuke-kun," Sakura purred, running a dainty finger up and down Naruto's stomach. "I reaaaally like you. Liiike, a lot." she wrapped her arms around Naruto's necks, her soft, pink lips perfectly rounded... The air between them lessened... and Naruto felt like his heart was going to explode—but for all the wrong reasons.

With more strength than he realized he had at the moment, he pushed the drunken, pink haired field hockey player and smiled softly. The smile tore at his skin.

"Sorry, Sakura. But I'm not the guy you want." and then he disappeared into the crowd.

+I Promise: A Little Change+

"You're not drinking?" Itachi had found his brother being his typical self, a beautiful wallflower thrown into the mix of raving, beastly teens. As usual, he wasn't drinking, nor was he really socializing with anyone. He inwardly sighed. _'When __will __my __little __brother __grow __up?'_Well, tonight _was_a night of change, after all.

"Hn." Sasuke wasn't really paying attention to anything. His mind had better things to be preoccupied on. For instance, a certain blond hair boy we all know and love... "Someone has to be sober enough to take Suigetsu home. We wouldn't want a repeat of last year."

Shivers danced up both the Uchiha's spines. Last year was definitely something else, that's for sure.

Itachi nodded and stood beside his brother on the wall. Normally they never got a chance to talk like this, two brothers, one ready to give advice to another. At home, their lives were rather chaotic. Peace was something they only had a few, chance encounters with. Itachi stared down at his drink. "You sure you want to do this?" he wasn't referring to driving Suigetsu home tonight.

The younger raven did his best to sound as solid as he believed he was, but there was a slight waver in his voice. "It's been about a month already. I don't see why not."

"He doesn't know it's you. He thinks it's someone else sending those roses. I must say, you pick _incredibly _dense people to fall for, Otouto."

"I know," Sasuke bit back the urge to growl as bubbles of rage floated through him system directed towards a certain pink-haired girl with a stick (a field hockey stick, you perverts). "But... I need to do this. If he goes one more day fawning over _her _I think I might snap."

Itachi nodded, but it was a slow one. He would fully support his brother no matter what he did—to an extent—but he couldn't say with 100% certainty that tonight was going to go well. Resting a supportive hand on his brother's shoulder, Itachi sighed. "Good luck then, Otouto. You'll need it."

+I Promise+

Naruto was never much of a drinker, but tonight he was gorging his sixth cup. Slamming the offending plastic container onto the counter, Naruto—not so gracefully—burped and then wiped his face. The buzz was just what he needed. It dulled down the hurt and intensified the music—drowning out the sounds of his breaking heart. He should have seen this coming, the moment when Sakura's true feelings towards the raven would be revealed. The scene had played before over and over in his head. He had seen the signs. He had witnessed every, painstaking, detail pointing to her feelings. He just chose to ignore it.

Placing ignorance and hope together was a dangerous combination.

"Idiot..." he whispered, clutching his pounding head. The room was spinning, slightly. "I'm such an idiot."

Colors blurred, and everyone sounded the same. Darkness threatened to overtake him and for a minute Naruto thought he had drunk to much and was about to pass out. Then, a hand gently caressed his back and soft voice fell on his ears.

"Dobe, who said you could drink six cups all by yourself?"

Naruto whirled around but instantly regretted it. His knees wobbled and his stomach threatened to jump out his throat. He hiccuped. "Y-You... what the fuck do you want... Teme!"

"A lot of things," Sasuke said with a shrug.

He didn't know why, but Naruto was finding every single thing the raven did ten times more annoying than he would on a daily basis. The way he carried himself. That annoying smirk he always wore. His damn... shoes! They were too clean! _'Stupid __shoes!' _Naruto glared through foggy blue eyes. "I hate your shoes..."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked down at his shoes. "They're Nikes. I thought everyone liked Nikes?"

"Well I hate 'em! They're butt ugly!"

"Drunkards shouldn't speak foolishly."

"I..." Naruto swayed a little, "am not drunk!" Naruto got all up in Sasuke's face and poked his nose. "Yah know... I really hate you..."

A twitch, but Sasuke managed to keep his smirk still. "I know..." it hurt—to say those words, to fully acknowledge them.

"You stole... her... fwom me," Naruto slurred. He wobbled a little more and fell right into Sasuke's chest. He giggled a little, hiccuped, and then looked upwards. In his drunken state, he did notice a few things. _'Damn__it...__he's __pretty. __And __he __has __nice __hair. __Fwuck...__he __smells __like __Christmas!' _Sometimes life's just not fair.

Sasuke swallowed back any inhumane—scratch that, _sexual _urges he had at the moment and casually placed his hand on Naruto's arm. "Who did I steal?"

Naruto blinked, furrowing his face in an adorable way Sasuke realized was his thinking face. "Yah know who! Sakura! I... I really liked her!" Now Naruto was bawling. The tears he had held back by then were flooding down his face. Every ounce of love he held for Sakura came out in the form of tear drops. He buried his face into Sasuke's chest to blow his nose, cry some more, and simply break down. "Why can't I have her...? Why can't I have anyone? It's not fair!" he slammed his fist half-heartedly on Sasuke's chest. "It's not... fwucking... fair."

An emotion was shining brightly in the raven's eyes, but he was quick to mask it. _'A __little __at __a __time,'_he reminded himself. Carefully and gently he reached for the blond's hair—fighting back the shiver that jumped up his spine at the connection—and coaxed him to the outside deck. The stars were shining brightly tonight, circling around the dangling moon in the sky. Sasuke made sure to lock the door behind him—just in case someone drunk decided to ruin the moment. He wouldn't let _that _happen.

A key note to make: He, not once, let go of their joined hands.

Sasuke wasn't the best at comforting people, but for the distressed blond he would do anything to take away those tears. He stroked each and everyone of his knuckles and brought their bodies closer as he gently caressed the blond's back. "Sorry," he whispered. He never apologized, for anyone, but Naruto was a special case. "I'm sorry. Stop crying, Dobe..." he wiped at a few tears and smiled softly.

Naruto sniffled. Despite his condition he had to admit he felt a little better. Maybe it was the fresh, nighttime air clearing his senses or perhaps it was the devilishly handsome raven smiling for _him_. _'I __wonder __if __I'm __the __only __one __who's __seen __him __smile.' _a jolt shot up along his body at the prospect, and his heart nearly skipped a beat. "Why are you being so nice to me, Teme?"

The raven snorted. "Well I'm not going to be mean to the person I like when they're crying. I'm not that much of a 'bastard'."

"Huuuh?" no, that wasn't Naruto being drunk, that was Naruto being confused. He cocked his head to the side and blinked a few times. "Mind running that by me one more time?"

As if by magic, Sasuke pulled out a single red rose and placed it in the blond's free hand. He saw the look of confusion and shock swirling in with other emotions float through Naruto's eyes. Time dripped and dripped, heartbeats sounded louder than they actually were. And for a while, neither boy spoke. Finally, though, Sasuke found the words needed to deliver the message—and fulfill the promise.

"For the past month you've been receiving roses, and with each rose came a promise. You may not have noticed it... but _I've _been the one completing those promises." he exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. "This may come as a shock, and honestly I don't know why you never caught on earlier but... Naruto, I like you."

"... Haaa..." Naruto hiccuped, his body swaying back and forth. Obviously the shock was too much for him to handle. "You... Sasuke..." he slapped the raven on the cheek, a goofy smile on his face. "Are one funny bastard." and then the world turned black.

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><p>Sorry if my Drunk is a little off... I've never been drunk before so you know C: Well, there you have it. Cat's out of the bag. Where does this take their relationship next (;? Ohh, and I finally brought in Kakashi... three chapters later ;D. Oh well. <strong>As usual, leave a review on the doorstep. A baby panda you saved will receive it and go "AWWWWW"!<strong>


	8. At Least We're Getting Somewhere

LOOK AT ALL THE PANDAS WE'RE SAVING! Ohmygoodness, I must celebrate by drawing pandas and cuddling with my plushies! YOU ALL MUST DRAW AND SPREAD THE LOVE OF PANDAS TOO C:! I guess I should make an "animal" for adding this to your favs and alerts too sooo... Favs=Chinchillas and Alerts=Narwhals 8D. Kay? kay. So we're saving so many animalsss! xDD

**Warning: I'm nice.. so I'm updating... again. Mostly because I love you guys SO much and I know you all want to see what happens next ;). Trust me guys, we're nowhere NEAR being finished with this story yet. Also, you should all listen to Lucifer and Ring Ding Dong by SHINee, and when you're done listen to Cross Game and Velvet by Alice Nine. ;DDD. OH! And this is FLUFFAY. IT'S SO FLUFFAY!**

**Disclaimer: Ohh saaay can you seeee... Oops, wrong thingy. Nope, I don't own Naruto. Just my awkwardness-ness. **

Enjoy you gorgeous people!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight: At Least We're Getting Somewhere<strong>

You know it's going to be a crappy day when you wake up with a pounding headache—courtesy of a lovely hangover. Bright light was Naruto's natural enemy at the moment as his mind slowly started to awaken. He squinted against the harshness, mentally cursing the morning and it's cheery disposition.

'_I am never drinking again. Beer is evil and deserves to be burned…' _it was a surprise in itself that his thoughts even made sense—let alone sentences—so early in the morning. He wasn't in the mood to wake up just yet, so he rolled onto his side and snuggled deeper into his warm, cinnamon-scented, bedcovers…

'_Cinnamon…?' _Naruto's eyes snapped wide open. Awareness flooded his senses as his eyes scanned the room that really wasn't his… "Oh my God…" he muttered, easing himself up on the foreign bed. "I've been kidnapped. That's it. Beer will never again hit my system! I'm going straight up virgin." He rubbed at his face; silently groaning as a head splitting pain rocked his skull. "And I need an aspirin… Actually, make that a whole bottle of aspirin."

Since he was a little more alert of his surroundings, Naruto took the time to actually study the room he was in. _'Okay, so obviously this person is rich because they have a flat screen TV in their room that takes up half a wall… I wonder if they have Satellite or Comcast?' _should he _really _be thinking about that considering the situation he's in? Naruto's eyes landed on the dark colors of the room—dark blues and pitch blacks. _'This person has never met a pack of skittles before in their life.' _

Right across from the bed was a desk with a personal computer resting on the top. Three dressers were scattered at designated points. One was placed underneath an arched window, the next one was placed beside the bed, and the last one was near the desk. There was also a huge, sliding closet that gave Naruto the curious urge to explore it… and most likely get _lost_.

So far Naruto could do one of two things: Go back to sleep and hope whatever crazy world he woke up in would disappear along with his hangover, or scream… really loud… and hope someone saves him. Right now it was really hard to choice which option to go with.

Thankfully, Life had the perfect answer—in the form of a raven.

Sasuke was casually leaning against the doorframe in a pair of Adidas sweatpants and a white v-neck. "Oh, so you're awake? I thought I heard someone talking upstairs."

Blue eyes simply stared back in confusion… _'Why is Teme here…?' _and then the memories of last night came rushing back. The pulsating bass thrashing his system, the feel of Sakura's body grinding against his, and then the feel of his heart being snipped in half by Sakura's drunken confession, and then afterwards getting drunk and… and…

"No…" Naruto whispered, burying his face into his hands.

"I'm guessing you remember last night?" the raven was perched on the edge of the bed, onyx eyes silently studying the distressed blond. He had expected such a reaction, more or less. It was how he was going to treat it that held him a loss. If you hadn't noticed, such actions as romantics and comfort were an alien planet to Sasuke—and he was just the annoying tourist who gets lost on the simplest roads. Sasuke managed to smirk despite his heavy heart, "Oh come on, last night wasn't too bad. Though the music was obnoxious."

Do you hear that? That's the sound of Naruto's sanity snapping. Blue eyes were shaded darkly with the anger pumping through the blond's veins. He gripped on the bed sheets. "How the _hell _can you act so calm after last night? You… You… Is this all some joke to you?" Malice coated the blond's words as he pressed himself up against the headboard. He wanted to be far away from the raven as humanly possible. Naruto was trembling; the hated truth was sinking in and digging nails.

'_Gaara warned me about this.' _Really, what was worse? Finally coming to at least accept—though not fully get over—the fact that your crush likes another guy, or knowing that the guy you hate for stealing your crush has been sending you roses for the past month? Such things would only happen to Naruto… "This is all some sick joke," he muttered over and over again.

The raven bit back a sigh. _'Let the shock go out of his system, then bite into him for overreacting too much.' _He added a little more weight on the bed, inching closer and closer to the blond until his hand was brushing against Naruto's covered foot. The blond twitched away. This time, Sasuke sighed, and leaned back. "Do you honestly think I would make a joke _this _elaborate?" when all he got was a heated glare and sharpened curse words thrown at him, he tried a different approach. "I thought it would be roman…tic." The word burned his tongue with unfamiliarity, making his inner pride flinch. But he wanted to see how much he could coax Naruto out of "the corner"—aka denial and refusal to cooperate—before he ran out of options.

Naruto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before dulling down into a glare again. _'No… I won't fall for his words—his lies! He's just faking this so he can get a good laugh at me. No… I won't believe his words…' _their eyes met; horrifyingly beautiful onyx clashed with devastatingly anguished blue, and Naruto almost fell—almost. The emotion, and sincerity (though Naruto chose to ignore that) swimming through Sasuke's eyes was enough to drown him.

"Well you were wrong…" Naruto said slowly. He pushed back the covers and made his way for the door. _'I'm not going to labeled as 'The Idiot' again.' _"I'm getting out of here." And he would have too. His hand had already gripped the silver-colored doorknob. But something was keeping him back. A pair of arms, to be exact, that had trapped him around his waist. The contact burned. Naruto's breath hitched up to his throat. For the first time today his heart was threatening to explode from the intimate contact.

"Don't go…" the normally stoic raven whispered against Naruto's neck. "Don't go until you've heard me out. Then you can go. And I won't chase after you." That was a lie, but Naruto didn't have to know about that yet.

Somehow, the leaks of desperation that hit Naruto ears like gunshots rattled him to the core… it made him want to stay. Made him want to listen to what Sasuke had to say. He gulped back his hesitation. _'I can hear his heartbeat…' _it was loud and thumped against his back. _'I'm probably going to regret this…' _sighing, Naruto gently pried himself out of Sasuke's arms and looked him in the eyes.

"Alright, Uchiha, one chance. That's all you get. If I don't like what I hear, I'll walk right out."

Sasuke nodded. "Fine. Let's go downstairs, then. We'll talk over breakfast." Somehow, he managed to find a smile to slap on his face. "I make some mean toast and eggs."

+I Promise+

'_Damnmit,' _Naruto thought as he tore into another slice of toast. _'He really does make good toast! And the eggs,' _he shoved another forkful of eggs, _'this is so not fair!' _

From across the table Sasuke was holding his coffee mug with a content smirk on his face. _'Well, if I won anything today its Naruto's stomach.' _He took the fact that Naruto had yet to walk right out of his house in the past ten minutes a good sign. Who knows? Maybe things would turn out in his favor after all?

Saturday morning sunshine flooded through the open windows of the Uchiha's kitchen, which, Naruto noticed, was filled with top of the line kitchen products and was about as colorful as an asylum room. Okay, so there were a few blacks here and there, like the stainless steel island counter and kitchen appliances, but other than that the room was pretty bland.

"You should really hire a painter," Naruto said after swallowing his sixth piece of toast. "This room needs more color!"

"Tried that, didn't work out."

"Uchihas can't stand a little color?"

"More like, the last time we hired a painter we entered into a kitchen that was neon green with blue and white polka-dots splattered on the walls." Sasuke shook his head and took another sip of his coffee. "It was so blinding I walked right into the refrigerator. Ever since then the kitchen's been black and white."

The blond barked out his first laugh all day. "No way! You, Sasuke Uchiha, ran into the refrigerator? Oh my God… can I put that on Facebook?"

"Yes and no," Sasuke answered with a glare, though there was amusement shining brightly on his face. "Hey… you smiled."

"Well… you fed me good food." Naruto folded his arms against his chest and pretended to look as disinterested as possible—he was failing. "I have enough morals to know to treat someone a little decently after a good meal. Besides, you've got a shitload of stuff to explain to me."

The raven stared into his coffee, as if the answers would somehow rise up in a puff of smoke. Sadly, no such thing happened. So he wracked his brain for the string of words and powerful sentences he had prepared months beforehand when such a daring idea popped into his head.

"Where should I start?"

"Now you're just stalling. I'd like an actual _reason_, Teme. Then you can get into the nitty gritty of it."

Sasuke sighed. "I'm not good with words… so I'll try to make this as painless as possible for you to listen. I've… liked you, for a long time, but you always like that pink-haired leech—"

"_Sakura_," Naruto hissed. It burned his tongue to say her name.

"Right, that's what I meant." The raven rolled his eyes. "So I thought to myself: 'How in the world could I get Naruto's attention?'"

"And leaving roses in my locker was your answer?"

"Actually, it was from a book I read last year. The main antagonist would leave a rose on the bedside table of ever house he visited—sort of like his trademark."

"Hmm, glad you didn't get inspiration from some psycho-killer book."

"Well…" Onyx eyes flitted away from blue ones for only a second to admire a beautiful wall to his left.

Naruto frowned. "You're losing me here, Uchiha."

"Fine," the raven tapped his fingers against the kitchen table. "I know someone who works in the local flower shop and told her about my… situation. She offered to give me free roses and also helped me come up with the promise idea." He shrugged his shoulders slightly, "It was a good idea, and so I ran with it. Though I didn't expect you to think it was that pink lee—I mean, Haruno, giving you those flowers."

"Nice save," Naruto stared at his half-empty glass of orange juice. Now that he thought about it, and not that the truth was very clear, he felt… stupid—extremely stupid. He wanted to bang his head into the kitchen table and hopefully bleed out glitter and fluids until he died from his stupidity. _'Really, Sakura always fawned over Sasuke. Always smiled at Sasuke. Was always…' _

The last part, he could never say. He could never put that four-letter word in the same sentence with Sakura and Sasuke. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

"You probably hate me—no, I know you hate me but, I can change that."

"You're one cocky bastard, Uchiha."

Sasuke's smirk faltered. "Cockiness is a good way to hide your pain, or so I've heard."

'_Pain…?' _Naruto was afraid to look into those onyx eyes staring at him, only because he knew he couldn't handle what they'd so. He shook his head furiously, shaking off his childish anxiety. How come it was so hard to just walk away and go home? Why was he even staying here and listening to Sasuke speaking? _'Don't I hate him? Why do I even care what he has to say when he lied to me?' _

Okay, so he didn't lie, Naruto was just being blinded but puppy love, but you get the point.

With a little hesitation, Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's arm—a huge step, you know—and was inwardly happy to see that Naruto didn't flinch away. He didn't really make a move to acknowledge the gesture, either. "I'm not asking you to declare your love for me right now. All I want is a chance. But, just so you know, if you tell me 'No' I won't give up on you." He smirked, "If you thought I was annoying before, you'll want to shoot me and then burn my dead body after I'm done."

"Is that a threat, Uchiha?" because it sounded like it could very well happen.

"No, just a small truth."

Really, how could you say 'No' after that? Sighing, Naruto looked at the hand that was currently on his arm. The skin was warmer than the other parts of his body. _'This is way too much to process. So, Uchiha likes me. That's… somewhat… tolerable. Sakura doesn't like me… I'll cry about that later. Sasuke wants to date me? Am I following that right? And he's been sending me roses for the past month…' _he thought back to his emotions and the scenes that occurred one month ago, and things added up rather well. Although Sakura completing the same promise was nice, and completely coincidental, Naruto realized that Sasuke had come true with every, single, promise but in a subtle well. The only reason why he hadn't picked up on it sooner was because he was too focused on Sakura, but now his thoughts were being trained elsewhere…

For example, he noticed that Sasuke's eyes could show a lot, or a little, emotion if he wished. His raven locks fell perfectly to frame his angular, mature face. And his smirk—Naruto couldn't believe he was thinking this—was… handsome. _'Handsome! God, someone shoot me now.'_

"So…?" Sasuke wasn't trying to push Naruto to make his decision faster but his heart was threatening to die on him from the nervousness if Naruto didn't hurry up.

"So what?" why yes, Naruto did enjoy pushing Sasuke's buttons while he came to a decision.

"Uzumaki."

"Uchiha."

"Do you _want _me to pass out right now? My heart can't take much more of this." Sasuke muttered, gripping onto his coffee mug.

"Was that an almost whine I just heard?" if looks could kill, Naruto would be in a blubbering pool of blood and broken limbs. The blond smiled, genuine and bright. "Alright, I'll stop beating around the bush. I can accept that you sent me those roses—which, by the way, was _so _unlike you so give me a break for thinking it was someone else."

"Hn," the raven nodded.

"I can also, somewhat, kind of, probably not, understand that you… like me?" another nod, "And want to date me?" another nod, though it was slow and, oh my, is that a blush? Naruto's grin grew even cheekier. "I don't know why, but I'm not as disgusted as I thought I would be with this… so yeah, I'll give you a chance—but only one, got that?"

Hearing those words lifted off a humongous weight from his shoulders. A small smile slipped on his face. "That's good to hear—"

"But!" Naruto cut him off, raising his index finger in the air and poking Sasuke straight in the nose. "We're not dating." Naruto said sternly, trying to hold back his disappointment that was clawing at his throat. He still wanted Sakura, and he was _still _bummed out to the extreme that it wasn't his bubblegum crush sending him roses but the boy he oddly despised for no reason…

Sasuke sighed. "Well I wasn't expecting you to jump in my pants…"

"Don't even go there, Teme, or I'll rip off your fucking balls!"

"You want to get a hold of them that badly?"

A blush reeked havoc all over Naruto's face. "W-What? No! I don't want your…" he pulled at his blond locks, "Gosh darn it, don't twist my words around, Uchiha!"

Sasuke chuckled and rested his chin the palm of his hands. His smile grew a little brighter. "Have I told you that you're funny when you freak out? You could be your own comedy act."

"Drop dead, Uchiha!"

Their relationship's a little weird, but hey? At least we're getting somewhere.

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><p>Naruto's hatred was so petty. Sorry guys, before we fully dive into their relationship there's a few kinks we have to get out (: Other than that <strong>Save a baby panda, click that little button that begins with an "r" down thurr 8D.<strong>


	9. A Little TornSeventh Promise

So many baby pandas are saved... you guys rock! LOOOL. Okay, so I probably won't update this again until Friday. Or whenever I get chapter eleven FINISHED. I try to write inbetween class periods but my teachers freak out when we have our comps open during a lesson unless we absolutely need them. (Our whole school has this laptop thingy going on...) ANYWHO! So yeah, I can't do much (unless I'm in creative writing) without a teacher calling me out and saying: "YO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU SKYPING?"

I have such a thing, but I don't use it o.o.

**Warning: This, chapter eight, and chapter ten, are my favorite chapters 8D. You guys will see why laterrr~ And, no, they are not dating YET, that's for some future chapter right around the bend... ;)**

**Disclaimer: Somewhereee over the rainbowww, way up high! There's a land that I heard offf, once in a lullaby. In this laaanddd, Fallen owns Naruto... and it's bliss! But sadly this is reality, I fail at being funny with disclaimers, and I don't own Naruto. :D**

Enjoy my beautiful panda savers!

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine: It's a Little Torn<strong>

**+The Seventh Promise: I See Your Tears. Let Me Take Them Away+**

"We could have told you that from the beginning. Seriously, how are you _this _dense?"

Lunchtime had rolled its beautiful head again, and since it was such a nice, fall day, so Naruto, Kiba, and Gaara decided: "What the hell? Let's eat outside!" Their usual spot was a huge tree off to the back of the courtyard. It was the tallest tree in the luscious area that stretched for the clouds. Oranges, reds, muddy browns decorated its branches just in time for the season. The three was their favorite hang out at school.

Naruto was leaning against the base of his tree, poking around in his bento box. It was a shame that such a good lunch had to go to waste because of the emptiness gnawing at his gut. Realizing that the guy you sort of hate for no really explained reason was your secret admirer was enough to digest for a lifetime. And right now, neither Kiba nor Gaara was helping Naruto stomach the news any better.

"How could _anyone _have seen that coming?" the blonde threw his hands in the air, a frown scarring his face. "Uchiha isn't that type of person to send roses and freaking promises."

"Obviously he is," Gaara said calmly, slipping a piece of tempura into his mouth. "If the past month has anything to say about it."

"I have to give you some credit, though." Kiba sympathized. "I didn't figure it out until he sat with us at lunch. You know, the little light bulb went _ding_after that."

"And if Kiba could figure it out, then you know it had to be ridiculously easy."

Naruto leaned his head against the tree. _'__Seriously,__why __do __I __hang __out __with __these __guys?__' _He placed his chopsticks on his uneaten food and stared up at the clouds. Puffy and white wisps floated across the sky. "Okay, I get it. I'm an idiot. And Gaara, don't you dare say anything or I'll tear out your throat." Threat firmly in place, Naruto continued. This time, a little more forlornly. "I still like her."

"We know," Kiba smiled softly.

Gaara simply nodded.

"It still hurts."

Another nod, and a wider smile this time.

"Damn it," Naruto choked back tears. He had already cried enough last night—just from the fierce brutality of knowing the truth. _'__I__'__m __not __going __to __cry __again, __I __already __accepted __it__… __Sakura __likes__… __Sasuke. __But __Sasuke __likes __me__…'_

Somehow, his failing heart found a reason to accelerate its pulse at the prospect of Sasuke liking him. In the end, though, his heart could never be able to accept the truth, unless someone came right up to him and threw it in his face.

+I Promise+

Soccer practice was a one-way trip to hell, but really, what else was new? Afterwards Naruto was praying that he'd be able to move the next day. His legs felt like _lead_! "Kiba, come over here and carry me!"

"Not on your life, dude!" the brunette shot back.

Naruto groaned and splayed out on the grass. The wet dew cooled his skin instantly and a sigh flew out of his lips. _'__Well, __at __least __practice __clears __my __mind.__' _It's really hard to think about life when you have soccer balls being thrown at you at dangerous speeds, you know.

A shadow cut off Naruto's view of the sun, and he would have screamed too, if Deidara's smile didn't scare him stiff. It was a smile that clearly said: "I-know-you're-dirty-little-secret-but-I'm-going-to-ask-you-about-it-anyways-because-I-can."

"Hey there, Blondie!"

"Spit it out, Deidara." Normally Naruto would have flowed into the simple banter that spewed between him and the older blonde, however, he simply did not feel the energy to do so today. He was old and frail on the inside no matter how youthful he looked on the outside.

Deidara looked offended and clutched his chest. "Spit out what? Why, do you think I _want _something from you?" the look he received from Naruto was enough to send him cracking up and actually get to the main point of his visit. "So I heard you and Little Raven hooked up after the party. You go, Blondie!"

A blush rampaged across his face. "I did _not _hook up with Uchiha! Nothing happened between us," the blonde was lying straight out of his teeth, and Deidara picked up on every fib.

The older blonde shook his head in pity for the blonde in denial. "That's not what Facebook told me… and Itachi, but that's besides the point."

Naruto sprang up like someone had lit his butt on fire. "No way… it doesn't say I'm with Uchiha on Facebook, does it? You're freaking lying!"

"Who knoooows…"

"Deidara, be nice," Sasori softly scolded. He was walking by at the right time to catch his boyfriend poking fun at Naruto. It was fun to do, and Sasori was an avid participator when it came to making fun of the blonde, but he knew his limits. Unlike a certain midfielder we know… "It's not on Facebook. Deidara's just being an idiot."

"You love me!"

Sasori smirked, "Sometimes," and then walked off to his car.

"All the time!" Deidara called out before turning to face the blonde who was trying, unsuccessfully, to run away. Grinning wildly, Deidara slapped a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder and brought him closer. "Oh no, I can't have you running away until you explain _everything _that happened—in detail!"

"There's nothing to tell!" Naruto tried to wiggle out of Deidara grasp, however the older blonde was a lot of stronger and had one hell of a grip. Sighing, Naruto realized this was a battle had no hopes for winning. "Okay, fine! I'll freaking tell you what happened! Now let me go already!"

"See," Deidara released his grip, a teasing smile forming on his lips. "Now was that so hard?"

"Bite me," Naruto muttered and folded his arms across his chest. "Alright, so over the past month I've been getting these roses, right? And each rose had this little promise tied to it. Well, Uchiha was the one who'd been sending them to me and yesterday we talked about it and I said I would think about giving him a chance."

"That's it? No sex?" Naruto's facial expression said it all—embarrassed and on the verge of death. Deidara let out an exasperated sigh. "Kids these days… absolutely no fun at all. But what about that pink-haired devil you're madly in love with?"

"I still like her," the blonde nervously rubbed his arm, chewing on his bottom lip in though. "But she likes Sasuke…"

"And Sasuke likes you—holy fuck, it's a love triangle to the extreme! What are you gonna do about Little Raven's feelings, huh? Do you like him?"

"N-No… maybe… uh… I don't know!" his feelings were all mixed up puzzle pieces that seemed to be nowhere near complete. "I'm way too confused right now to process any feelings of… whatever the hell Uchiha feels for me."

"Well this was boring." Deidara huffed and hitched up his duffle bag, already prepared to leave. "You should really figure that out soon, though. Uchiha's aren't known for their patience."

Deidara walked away afterwards, leaving Naruto to stand on the field all by himself. He sighed and ran a finger through his blonde hair. _'__Why __me?__' _he asked looking up into the clouds. Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pants… pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

_Gaara cnt take us home so Im taking the late bus. –Kiba. _

"Dammit," he cursed and shoved his pocket back into his pants. The late bus never dropped him off anywhere near his house so that was automatically vetoed. The only person who he knew could give him a ride was the _last_person he wanted to see right now. "Why does life hate me?"

"Naruto, hey!" is that a good enough answer for you, Naruto? The blonde gulped as the space between him and Sakura was growing shorter and shorter. Sakura had her hair in a low ponytail today with neko-clips in her hair. She looked so adorable. Ouch, yet another scissors meant to cut his heartstrings.

'_Need __an __escape __plan. __Need __an __escape__—__damn__it, __she__'__s __here.__' _"Uh, hey," his smile was a little awkward, but Sakura was beaming so many happy rays she didn't even notice.

"How are you?"

"Okay, you?"

"Great! Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot." His stomach twisted into knots.

Sakura dug into her duffle bag, muttering to herself all the way, until she pulled out a light pink envelop with her initials on the front. She held it out to the blonde shyly, and just for a split second Naruto thought the letter was for _him_.

"Could you give this to Sasuke-kun, please? I saw that you guys talked a lot and I was hoping you could deliver it to him…?"

And then he realized he was an idiot—an idiot in need of open-heart surgery.

He didn't know what hurt most then: the truth, or seeing the letter addressed to Sasuke. A huge part of him wanted to rip the letter out of her clutches and tear it to shreds. Then laugh as her confessions of love and adoration sprinkled the ground like tainted snow. He would feel like a complete bastard, but at least it would put his heart at somewhat ease… maybe. Another part, equally huge, wished and prayed that Sasuke would never see her letter. Why, he didn't know? _'__He __doesn__'__t __like __her.__' _The words embedded themselves into his skull, leaving a dull ache in their wake. _'__So __why__… __why __don__'__t __I __want __him to see the letter__…__?__'_

Things were turning a little clearer then, though there were splotches of tears clouding Naruto's eyes as he choked out his next words. "Sorry, I can't do that. Uchiha and I… really aren't that close." He felt the urge to mutter another sorry, but nothing came. He was too enrapt in watching the disappointment play on her face as she carefully put her letter back into her duffle bag.

"Oh," a knife dug in a little deeper into his heart, "well… thanks anyways. See you around."

He was alone again (or so he thought), standing on the dewy field, wondering why in the world he had to fall so hard for her. All he got from it was scrapes, bruises, and an aching heart. Staring at he feet, he willed the ground to split open and swallow him whole.

Instead, he got Suigetsu and Deidara, followed by Sasori, instead.

"Deidara, how many fucking times do I have to tell you to _get __the __bag __of __balls __before __you __leave_?"

"Stop bitching, Suigetsu! I remembered this time, didn't I?" Deidara huffed.

"You better have! I'm not about to run across the damn country again because of _your _mistake." Okay, so they really didn't run across the country last time Deidara forgot to pick up the bag of soccer balls. Suigetsu just liked to exaggerate whenever he got mad.

They found Naruto on the field, sniffling and on the verge of a breakdown. Suigetsu, Deidara, and Sasori both shared worried, sympathetic glances.

"Come here…" Deidara muttered softly and pulled the blonde into a hug.

Naruto hiccupped. He knew what they were going to say. He wasn't too keen on listening, though.

"Blondie," Suigetsu frowned and brushed away his hair. He was never good at comforting crying people. He usually stepped on land mines that further exploded the situation. "Loves sucks, huh?"

Another bubbling hiccup floated into the air.

"We did warn you, though." Deidara whispered.

"That we did." Suigetsu nodded. Sasori was the silent companion feeding Naruto tissues so he could clean up his runny nose.

"Shut… up…" the blonde blew out his nose. For the next five minutes he left tear puddles on both Suigetsu and Deidara shoulders until his eyes finally ran out of water and his heart was left numb.

+I Promise: It's a Surprise+

Deidara and Sasori offered to take Naruto home, so the blonde went for his duffle bag sitting on the bench. What he found there, though, was a red rose and a promise attached to it. If today were lead by blissful ignorance coating the truth, he would have been elated thinking it was from his Sakura. His heart _did_do a little jump, though, but the mystery leading the excitement no longer was there.

That didn't mean he wasn't curious, though.

_I saw your tears, and I promise to make you happy. Meet me by the front gates. _

'_Why __the __rose? __He __could __have __just __said __this __to __me __face-to-face.__' _His curiosity was still gnawing at him as he saw Sasori and Deidara look at him expectantly. "Um, actually guys, I have to… uh…"

Deidara spotted the rose and smirked knowingly. "Don't explain. Go get him, tiger!"

"Keep it clean," Sasori smirked.

Naruto blushed wildly, grabbed his stuff, and bolted for the front gates. Leave it to Sasori and Deidara to make a simple, clean thing horribly dirty. Small bursts of excitement buzzed in his veins as he dashed through the parking lot, dodging and bending through cars, to reach the front gate. Sasuke was casually leaning against the metal bars, his fingers drumming on the inside of his arm.

"Hey," the raven waved.

Naruto frowned slightly. "What's with the rose? Couldn't you have talked to me in person?" _'__Why __is __my __heart __thumping __so __loudly__…'_

_Thump… thump… thump…_

Sasuke smirked and pushed off against the fence. Naruto noticed that the gap between them wasn't too great and unconsciously took a step back. The raven's smirk faltered only a little bit. "I thought the roses approach was the right way to go. Besides, you're here aren't you?"

"What do you want, Uchiha? I'm missing my ride home because of you!"

"I saw everything."

Bam. There. It was said. And those three, simple words were punches to the gut. Naruto exploded then—a pile of tears, desperation, heartache, and realization as he launched himself and Sasuke beating at his chest.

"I hate you! I hate you… I fucking… hate you!" he screamed. "Why… why can't she love me? Why… Why do you have to…?" he collapsed, mentally, too tired to even try anymore. It was done. The truth was etched in stone. There was nothing he could do about it, and really where would crying get him?

Sasuke stood there and took the weak punches and terrible words. His heart grew a little larger for the blonde. If he could, he would have twisted and changed Sakura's feelings so it was the blonde she loved—not him. _'__No, __I __wouldn__'__t __be __satisfied __with __that.__' _

In some, horribly wrong, way he was happy Naruto was rejected. That meant he could pick up the pieces to the blonde's shatter part and help him glue them together. He'd insert a piece of himself into the puzzle, so that every time Naruto's heart thumped, Sasuke would be there—pumping and alive with him.

Warm arms encircled around Naruto's waist, pulling the blonde flush against the raven. He gasped—the second time they've hugged—still unfamiliar with such a foreign gesture. Instinct told him to break free; struggle.

His heart was telling him to stay.

'_So __warm__…'_ Naruto unconsciously clutched onto the raven tighter. Was this the warmth friendship carried, or was this something _more_.

The raven placed his head on top of Naruto's—he was a few, good inches taller. "I promised to make you happy, and I will."

A small piece of Naruto's heart was fitted into place. Naruto sniffled. "Thanks… Uchiha."

"Sasuke," The raven corrected.

"Huh?"

Sasuke gave him a small smile. "Call me Sasuke."

"N-No way!" a small blush scarred his cheeks. "Ain't happening, Teme!"

"Do it," and just to add a more, threatening, touch Sasuke squeezed him tighter.

Naruto squeaked, jumping even closer to the raven's body than he needed to be. He blushed even more. "Dammit, Sasuke, let me go!"

"No can do, Dobe. Now that you're caught, I'm not letting go."

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><p>Sasuke why are you so adorable with your words! And Naruto, why you no get in Sasuke's pants yet! Lmfao, wait, am I allowed to ask those questions even though I'm the author and have complete control of this story...? ...Moving on then. <strong>Guys, baby pandas all over the world lack the resources to build bamboo temples to read their yaoi manga and pig out on their pocky. Do you WANT them homeless? Didn't think so ;). One more review and we take a baby panda off the streets. <strong>


	10. Eighth Promise

I can't wait till the day we save 200 pandas... until then, you get this lovely update on a THURSDAY (Yup, I'm updating earlier than planned ;D) afternoon 8D. GUYS. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. SO MANY BABY PANDAS HAVE HOMES NOW! AND SO MANY NARWHALS HAVE ICE CREAM PARTY BOATS. AND SO MANY CHINCHILLAS HAVE... shoes o_o.

Loool, IMVU totally made my day today. If you have one, you should add me 8D **Guest_PossibleInsanity. **I heart making new friends c:

**Warning: WARNING. WARNING. FINALLY SOMETHING FLUFFY AND CHEESY HAPPENS. You will all LOVE me for this. And if you don't, well, the baby pandas will make you love me. So there. Stupid humor-just one of those days. **

**Disclaimer: In some alternate world beyond our comprehension I own Naruto. Until we find such a world, I'm screwed v.v.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Eighth Promise<strong>

**+I'll Never Hurt You+**

Every morning Naruto would wake up to the color pink—and this time it wasn't because of the after effects of a pleasant dream involving Sakura Haruno. His heart was still mending, invisible strings coming together to sew up holes. He could manage, though. Especially when he turned to his side, facing the vase where he put each and every rose he had gotten, and smiled. Things couldn't be so bad when he knew he had someone else, who, he could say, felt something for him.

What that something was, well, Naruto couldn't say he was ready to smack a label on that.

Pushing away the covers, the blond stretched out the sleeping kinks and knots. He lazily trudged down the stairs, his senses immediately being assaulted by laughter and the smell of pancakes. _'__Kakashi__'__s __here?__' _he had long since dropped the "sensei" after the first couple of months. Seeing the way Kakashi treated Iruka, and how well they got along, made Naruto more sympathetic.

Granted, he still gave Kakashi a hard time but you can't have it all.

"PDA in the morning, blech," Naruto made a face and sat down in an empty chair opposite from his guardian and Kakashi. "Can't we keep it PG? I'd like to be able to _stomach _my breakfast, you know?"

"No one said you had to eat at the table," Kakashi reminded him. His hand was wrapped securely around his lover's waist and he was currently having the most delicious meal of his life—Iruka's neck.

Iruka giggled breathlessly. "Don't be mean, Kakashi." He turned to Naruto, a teasing smile on his lips. "Besides, you'll know exactly what it means to be in love one day, Naruto. Then it'll be you with the tongue shoved down your throat."

"Or other places," Kakashi chimed in nonchalantly.

Naruto slammed his face against the table—hard. "Must… erase… mental… images!"

One step at a time, dude—one miniscule step at a time.

+I Promise+

Instead of the customary rose tied with a promise hanging from his locker with a promise tied to its stem, Naruto found a raven… leaning against his locker… with a smirk.

'_Just __turn __around __slowly__…' _turning his body halfway, Naruto was ready to break out into a run towards the other direction. A voice caught him in his tracks, though.

"Don't even think about running away, Naruto."

Naruto whirled around, nearly stumbling over. He wasn't prepared to see the raven so up close and… personal. "Ever heard of 'personal bubble'?"

A slow smirk curled on his face, "Hmm… sounds familiar…"

Naruto frowned. _'__Dammit, __not __only __is __he __too __cocky __this __early __in __the __morning__… __he __looks__… __not __that __bad.__' _His cheeks were dusted with a light pink as he, not too nicely, shoved the raven out of the way so he could reach his locker. "Well, I have one—just so you know. And I don't like it getting popped."

"You won't have to worry about that once we're dating," Sasuke said a little _too _coyly.

The blond turned on his heel ready to say something when the lock that was in his hand flew and clattered a few feet away. His mouth hung open awkwardly for a few seconds until he lifted up his pointer finger. "Hold that thought," he said and dashed for his lock. Once it was securely in his hands, he jogged back to see Sasuke stifling back laughter… actual _laughter_! Naruto stamped his feet in annoyance, a bigger blush coming to scar his face. "This is _not _funny, Teme!"

"You're right. It's hilarious."

"I will bash your face in with this lock!"

"I'd like to see you try."

Naruto was going to do it, too. Well that's what he _liked _to believe. Sighing, he pushed past the raven again to grab his things for the first three periods then slammed his locker door shut. Unfortunately that didn't scare Sasuke away at all. Naruto could accept a lot of things. Sakura not liking him, Sasuke _actually _liking _him_, and then Iruka pretty much hitched with Kakashi. It was the _adjusting _he just couldn't handle. Life was changing way to fast for his liking.

'_I really need a Twix bar right now.'_

"Hey, Naruto! And… Uchiha?" Kiba slowly put his hand down as he walked up to the two with a perplexed look on his face. _'__Well __this __is __new.__' _"So you guys _are_ dating!" he walked up and punched Naruto no the arm. "Bitch, way to keep me out of the loop! I thought we were best friends!"

"Okay, first of all _ouch_!" Naruto rubbed his abused arm, glaring daggers at his so-called 'best friend'. "And secondly Sasuke and I _aren__'__t _dating! He's just annoying."

"What Naruto _means _is," Sasuke stepped just a little bit closer to Naruto until their shoulders touched, "we have a thing, but he's just too stubborn to admit it."

"Ohhhh, I see." Kiba nodded along. "Naruto's always been a stubborn fellow."

"I am _not_!" Seriously, was _everyone _against Naruto today?

"Hm, you're funny when you're in denial, too." Why yes, Naruto, everyone _is _against you today.

The blond banged his head against the locker a few, good times. "Why can't you just leave me alone…?" he whined.

Kiba and Sasuke both shared knowing glances before they both broke out into similar glances.

"I thought it was obvious, Naruto." Kiba patted his blond friend on the back. "Sasuke _liiikes _you."

+I Promise+

Lunch time rolled by rather quickly today. Naruto was a little disappointed since Gaara was sick from school and the boy was _supposed_ to bring him a Nutella sandwich to eat today! _'He __probably __freaking __skipped __just __to __spite __me.' _Naruto had his cheek pressed flat against the round table, his stomach barking at him to feed it _now_!

"You're pitiful, dude." Kiba plopped down beside his friend and scooped up a handful of fries and placed them in a napkin. He slide the food towards the blond who perked up instantaneously and nearly devoured his hand—good thing Kiba had mad fast reflexes. "Okay, now you're just deranged."

"Shut up!" Naruto shoved another handful of fries into his mouth and swallowed. "I didn't pack a lunch because Gaara was _supposed _to bring me something."

Kiba shook his head sadly, "I bet my entire stash of pudding cups that he skipped _just _to see you suffer today."

"I'm not even going to play along because I'm pretty sure you're right..." Naruto sighed and glumly stared at the last, standing fry. The lone survivor of the Fry Empire massacre... "Do you want to join your little buddies in my stomach, King Fry? They'll still need a leader, you know... all up in my stomach acid."

A warm hand attached itself to his Naruto's forehead and the blond nearly squealed—in a manly way, of course. He whirled around to see the raven with a concerned look on his face. Naruto could see the amusement and mischief dancing in Sasuke's eyes though. The glare that wanted to seep on his face was overpowered by his loudly, thumping heart.

"Should I take you to the nurse? It's not normal to talk to your food like that..." Sasuke was trying _very _hard to keep a straight face.

Naruto scowled and slapped the raven's hand away. That did nothing to scare him off, unfortunately. _'Dammit, __I'm __blushing __aren't __I?' _To make sure, he placed a hand on his cheek and felt the warm skin tingle his hand. _'Fuck!'_

"Now you're just scaring us, Naruto." Kiba sighed dramatically. "I can tolerate your strange habit of talking to food but really, this? Feeling yourself up and then freaking out about it? You need a straight jacket."

"Kiba, eat your fucking pudding cup."

"Fine then! Excuse me for caring!" in a huff Kiba turned around in his seat, grabbed his spoon, and dug into his pudding with a vengeance!

During the somewhat comical banter between blond and brunet, Sasuke had already sat down and unpacked his lunch, dividing the contents for Naruto and then sliding a portion over to the blond. "Here. I'm guessing you either forgot your lunch or it was magically stolen so have some of mine."

Now Naruto could handle the usual cocky, higher-than-thou raven that annoyed him on a daily basis. It was the abnormal spasms of kindness that would erupt whenever Naruto wasn't prepared for them he couldn't decipher. These moments made little skips in Naruto's heartbeat and made Naruto's mind reel back to the roses in the vase... and the completed promises...

And then a stupid, little thing called pride would come in and make Naruto difficult. _'I __can't __make __this __easy __for __him,' _he thought as he tentatively reached over for the first thing he saw—something wrapped in aluminum foil. He eyed the food, sniffed the food, and even licked the foil...

"Baka!" Sasuke hissed and grabbed the aluminum wrapped object out of Naruto's hands. He made quick work of the foil and shoved the sandwich in the blond's face. "It's a Nutella and fluff sandwich! You know, chocolate hazelnut? What the fuck did you think it was?"

"Nutella?" bright blue eyes exploded as he snatched back the sandwich and shoved half of it in his mouth. "Mmmm... Dear God... Sasuke! You are no longer a full bastard."

"What does that make him now? A half-bastard?" Kiba scoffed.

Naruto was a little too preoccupied with his magical sandwich to throw back any logical retort so Kiba turned his attention to the satisfied raven across from him. Two and two clicked together and Kiba pulled out his Sidekick to send off a quick text.

_Ur so busted_

A few seconds later...

_(; _

+I Promise+

"Today we're going to split the team in half. Suigetsu, you're leader of the Blue Team." Itachi instructed.

"Hell yeaaah!" Suigetsu hollered.

"Neji, you'll be the leader of the Red Team. Since Coach is out on leave, I'll be running things for the next week. Today's exercise is all about working with people you normally wouldn't talk to, so captains I advise you to _not _pick your friends." a glare was purposefully sent Suigetsu's way who somehow was transfixed by an invisible floating butterfly at the moment...

Soon names were called and the teams were split evenly eleven and eleven. There was no Junior Varsity team, but there was definitely a huge gallop of ages mixed in together. Awkward conversation settled between both teams.

_'Yup, __this __is __officially __awkward.' _Naruto didn't know anyone but Pein. The guy was big and always wore an expressionless mask. His bright orange hair made Naruto not once, but ten times consider whether or not such a color was natural or if Pein regularly died his hair to keep it _that _bright of a color. And then there were the piercings...

_'I __can __barely __handle __getting __shots,' _he shuddered.

Pein looked over at him for a few seconds. His ringed eyes—that Naruto had found himself on more than one occasion getting lost in—were almost peering into his soul before he barely cracked out a smile. "You're nervous." and there goes Pein. Always making statements and never asking questions.

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head. "I've been told I'm socially awkward in a group of strangers."

"Don't worry. I'll introduce you." A hand attached itself to Naruto's shoulder as Pein introduced Naruto to the other nine players of the team. So far, Naruto knew a few familiar faces. _'__I__'__m __pretty __sure __Shino__'__s __in __my B__io __class__…' _their eyes met and Naruto waved amiably, a shy smile on his face. Shino merely nodded back, his usual head garb that covered up half his face and his sunglasses blocked Naruto from seeing any and all emotion from the brunet's face.

Other people he remembered bumping into once and twice in the hallway. Some seemed to just have popped out of nowhere. Naruto was the only sophomore on the team, but that didn't defect him from having conversations with a few of his teammates.

"So how are you able to put up with Uchiha?" Haku, a senior and one of the team's best forwards, asked.

A little fun fact, the first interaction they had Naruto had thought Haku was a girl. To prove him wrong, Haku had bluntly grabbed Naruto's hand and placed it on his crotch… Needless to say, Naruto forever had the info engrained that Haku was _all _male.

"Simple. I bitch."

That seemed to satisfy Haku.

Neji cleared his throat and the talking ceased. "Everyone has gotten to know one another, correct?" Mumbles of agreements and head nods surfaced up. "Good. Then I'll choose your positions. Haku, you'll be—"

"Hold on!" Naruto raised a hand in the air, effectively cutting off Neji. Too bad he wasn't aware of Neji's pet peeve; he hated being interrupted.

"What is it, Uzumaki-san?" the brunet grounded out.

"Dontcha think we need a team name first? I mean, come on! What's the point of splitting up into groups if we don't have a kickass team name to rep?"

Naruto had a good point—for once. It seemed like a lot of people agreed because murmurs of agreement erupted like wildfire.

Once again, Neji found a vein threatening to pop open and bleed… stuff. Gross stuff. Stuff we shouldn't talk about. "That's a ridiculous notion. What makes you think that—"

"A team name sounds fun," Pein interrupted casually. He may not have been the oldest, but people respected him for his logical input and reasonable decisions. Pein rarely ever spoke up unless he was determined to have his opinion realized and fought for.

More murmurs erupted, and really, Neji didn't want to handle a team mutiny so early in the game. So, he sighed, threw a couple of curses mentally, and then flashed his pale eyes towards Naruto. Who, if you wanted to know, was smiling rather goofily.

"Fine. Team names, sure, whatever. Any suggestions?" the question was directed right at the blond.

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head and simply smiled. "Two words: Naked... Zebras."

Silence, and then finally...

"Are you out of your mind? Naked Zebras?" Neji scoffed, "Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Hey! It's original." Naruto turned to Pein, "Right?"

The big ol' carrot top shrugged, "I don't hate it."

It was two against one and once again Neji was never one to ignite the flame. With more restraint than he thought he owned, Neji begrudgingly accepted the weird team name. There was something that was clawing at his mind, though, that he couldn't help but voice.

"If the Zebra's naked, wouldn't that simply make it a horse?"

It was a good question, if you thought about it.

+I Promise: A Funny Interaction+

"Prepared to be taken down, Red Team!" Suigetsu hooted. For some reason his team were all shirtless with blue war paint all over their faces. A few of the freshman were huddling with one another to escape the fall chill—with no such luck.

Reluctantly Naruto's eyes connected with Sasuke's toned chest and gulped—audibly. _'Still __not __fair.' _and then he came face-to-face with that damned Uchiha smirk and his accelerating heartbeat nearly stopped cold. _'I __take __it __back. __I'm __taking __him __down__—__so __hard.'_

"Actually!" Naruto shouted back. Their team had red bandanas tied around their hands and spiffy red tape to put around their shoes. "We're called the Naked Zebras, so get your facts straight!"

Once again, silence followed Naruto's outburst. Until Kiba was the first one to crack in fits of laughter. Suigetsu followed suit and then the whole Blue Team transformed into giggly soccer players... that were half naked.

"Dude," the brunet said after regaining a thin strand of control over his hysteria. "Wouldn't that just make you horses then?"

"That's what _I_ said!" Finally! Someone sympathized with Neji!

Naruto scoffed, "Don't be jealous because we have a cool name and you don't!"

"Bitch please," Deidara countered. "No one can top _our _team name!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it then!"

"Titanic Mutant Narwhals."

Seriously... what is wrong with these people?

"Enough of this," Itachi nodded to Juugo—giving him the signal. Juugo dropped the soccer ball at his feet and then punted it into the mass of soccer players. "Game on!"

+I Promise: It's Worth a Shot+

_'My __body's __going __to __shut __down __on __me __one __day... __or __explode. __Probably __explode. __I __wonder __what __my __insides __would __look __like? __Oh, __maybe __they're __pink!' _Naruto was leaning against the bleachers, thoroughly spent from a hellishly fun practice. His team had managed to win once the game had turned into free kicks. He had a few unlucky run-ins where he nearly lost a leg, an arm, and even a kidney (Don't ask how. It just happens that way). Overall though he had to admit he couldn't complain too much about today's practice.

_'If __I __had __some __water __right __now, __that __would __be __great.' _the blond was already forgetting his water...

Coldness seeped through his head, chilling his face, as a water bottle was pressed against his skin. Naruto bit his lip to suppress the moan that wanted to rip its way out of his throat. Tired blue eyes looked up to meet playful, but equally tired, onyx eyes.

"Remind me to bring you an extra water bottle. If you keep forgetting all the time you'll end up with some serious problems."

Naruto somehow found the energy to shrug. He barely moved his shoulders an inch, though. "You don't have to."

"I want to." Sasuke knelt down and brushed his fingers through Naruto's sweaty forehead, swiping away pieces of grass and moving the hair out of Naruto's beautiful blue eyes.

Naruto almost raised his hand to slap the raven away, but he thought against it. It was nice to be pampered; cared for. Yes, he was still adjusting, however he couldn't deny that Sasuke's fingers playing with his hair felt really good... His eyes were lulling close as the tiredness seeped through his bones.

"What? No sniping remarks or complaints you want to throw at me?" Sasuke smirked. "I have to say I'm a little disappointed."

One blue eye cracked open, "Too tired," then snapped shut.

Sasuke watched as the blond slowly drifted off to sleep. _'How __he __could __ever __find __that __position __comfortable __I'll __never __know.' _his thoughts raced with all the opportunities he could take at this precious moment and clamped them down before they dived too far down the naughty path. _'Take __it __slow, __Uchiha. __One __wrong __move __and __you're __back __to __square __one.' _that is, of course, if Naruto doesn't burn that square to the ground if Sasuke does something stupid.

+I Promise: A Jealous blond is Funny+

Naruto had somehow gotten himself hitching a ride with Sasuke. He partially blamed Kiba for ditching him abruptly and Gaara for skipping school altogether. _'It's __a __conspiracy!' _he scowled and hoisted his duffle bag higher. _'They're __all __out __to __get __me.'_

That, or they just want to see sparks fly. Either one was pretty probable.

Then, he saw something he could have lived without. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the raven talking to a girl he didn't recognize. His heart twisted uncomfortably as he watched the girl literally meld her body with Sasuke's. Naruto gritted his teeth and clutched onto his bag tighter.

He knew this feeling. It was something he used to direct towards the _raven_. But now, rather then killing Sasuke over and over again in his mind, every thought and action he was experiencing were all pointed in the direction of getting that girl _off_of Sasuke.

If Naruto's anger were flammable right now, he would have combusted into flames.

_'Why __the __hell __am __I __jealous __over __that __girl __touching __Sasuke? __I...__I __don't __care, __right? __But __Sasuke's __supposed __to __like __me... __then __what __the __hell?' _right on time Naruto caught Sasuke push the girl off of him, scowl, and then give her the rumored Uchiha death glare before stalking off. Naruto smiled widely as he saw the girl's shoulders slump as she walked away dejectedly.

_'Take that, bitch.' _

When Sasuke approached the jeep, he nearly took a step back when Naruto came up as if holding weaponry ready to shoot off his head.

"You... you..." Naruto shook his fist, his face fully flushed.

"Words, Naruto. Speak words." the raven had to admit he was a tad scared... especially since he had no clue what set the blond off like this.

"You... How the _fuck _could you let that girl all over you?"

Sasuke's eyes widened considerably. _'He's...__jealous?' _the raven couldn't even begin to wrap his head around such a huge prospect. One minute Naruto couldn't stand him and now the blond was getting jealous over some girl hugging him? Hm, progress is definitely a good thing. "I can't believe you saw that..." Sasuke shook his head, trying to fight back the smile wanting to worm its way on his lips. "Naruto, she barely touched me and I pushed her off. I even rejected her nicely."

"Like hell she didn't! That was full on body contact, Sasuke! Fucking full on!"

This time Sasuke smiled, though it was a small one, and closed the distance between him and Naruto. He had the blond pinned against the jeep door. Blue clashed with onyx; fear bleeding in with trepidation. Sasuke leaned forward so that his words gently caressed the blond's reddening ear.

"You're jealous," he whispered.

Naruto attempted to struggle free from Sasuke's body, but dammit... he was so warm... and Naruto was feeling his strength drain away fast. "I-I am not, Teme! Back up! You're invading my bubble!"

The raven merely chuckled and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. Their bodies melded perfectly, as if they were two puzzle pieces that were meant to fit. Naruto gasped, the warmth igniting his skin and sending his heart into a tizzy and blinding whir. Sasuke wasn't helping out the situation by having his lips barely touch the blond's neck...

"Naruto Uzumaki, listen to me carefully." the wind whistled. The stars were climbing out to peek at the rare moment they were gifted to see. The coldness of the jeep door danced up along Naruto's spine and the heat of Sasuke's body meshed with his front. Conflicting feelings, hypersensitive nerves... Naruto was on the verge of passing out—or exploding, either one. "I like you, no one else. You won't have to worry about others because I only want _you.__"_

"W-What?" Blue eyes were lit up with sparklers. His heart had finally exploding and Naruto finally realized he was caught in the trap. The trap of those brilliant onyx eyes and the smoldering body pressed up against him... He couldn't fight it anymore, and he found himself leaning in closer... "You mean it...?" a rosy red tint scarred his cheeks as his voice had dripped down to a whisper.

Sasuke's smile grew a little wider as he cupped the blond's cheek in his hand. "I _promise_."

"T-Teme," Naruto squeaked, noticing that the space between their faces was growing smaller and smaller. "W-Why are you leaning in so close...? T-Teme!" he tried to push the raven off, but Sasuke was a persistent little thing. "N-No..."

"Be mine...?" his words brushed against the blond's lips and then...

They connected.

And Naruto had finally fallen. Fallen into the heat, the passion of the words, the promises—there was no going back now.

Here's a small fact: Naruto's first kiss was in the parking lot. It was stolen by a cocky but sweet little raven.

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><p><strong>THE END...<strong> of this chapter c: Some parts of this was extremely corny... to me o.o But anywho. Have an IMVU? Feel free to add :D. **DO YOU WANT BABY PANDAS BURNED AT THE STAKE? NO WE DON'T D: ****So let's save one more baby panda from a gruesome death and review... O:)**


	11. It's All Falling Together

I did promise to update on Friday, you know... ;D. Guys, I really do love you. I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to replying to some of your reviews! I will get on that tomorrow! Oh, and since **Alecksander **reviewed twice... he gets to name a baby panda he saved 8D! WOOOT. CONGRATS. NAMING FTW!

**Warning: Fluff, terrible humor, uhhh... a tiny dip into the angst paint bucket? Yeah, anything else just strap on a helmet for and prepare for war! Not literally... of course...**

**Disclaimer: Somewhere over a hill I own Naruto. Thing is that hill's pretty fucking huge.**

Enjoy :D

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: It's all Falling Together<strong>

"Bye," Sasuke whispered dangerously close to Naruto's lips.

This would be their fourth kiss of the night.

Naruto's face was severely overtaken by a blush as he met Sasuke halfway. His lips tingled when they connected. He could feel every ounce of emotion Sasuke was trying to convey despite the kiss being so light and timid. When they finally pulled back, hearts hammering loudly and minds tuned to how close the other was, Naruto finally said the last word he reluctantly wanted to voice.

"Night."

And then they shared their fifth kiss.

+I Promise: Hearts and Rainbows+

When Naruto finally entered into his house last night he was assaulted by the new emotions crashing through his body. His legs were shaking, threatening to collapse. His heart had probably exploded more times then considered healthy. And he was pretty sure his face was now forever the color red, pink, and tan.

'_Wow,' _his fingers brushed his tingling lips, and then he bit his bottom lip. _'So that's what kissing feels like…' _he had to admit, he always dreamed of kissing Sakura. Dreamed of having Sakura's body pressed and molded against his. Dreamed of breaking the kiss, only to stare down at her adorable blushing face. Now those dreams were eradicated; wiped clean. All he could think about was the feel of Sasuke's heat trapped around his body. The feel of Sasuke's lips gently coaxing his. The feel of just… Sasuke.

It was pretty amazing.

"Oh hey, you're home." Iruka popped his head around the doorway, a smile on his face as he stared at his son. His eyebrows skyrocketed to his hairline, though, when he noticed something… _familiar. _"Naruto Uzumaki…" Iruka shook his head and crossed the distance between him and Naruto. He knelt down and placed his hand flat on Naruto's chest, feeling the blond's pumping heart. "Someone's in love."

Naruto shook his head wildly. "N-No I'm not!" his heart denied him by thumping even faster.

Iruka simply smiled. "You don't have to lie. Your heart says it all." Then he pouted. "I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner!"

"Iruka!"

"Do you mind if I tell Kakashi? He actually wanted to place bets on how long it would take for you to find someone."

"Why would you even place bets on something like that!" Naruto protested.

Iruka jumped over the protest and ran on with his ridiculous, happy-spurred rambling. "So when do I get to meet the lucky guy?"

"What makes you think it's a guy?"

"The roses," Iruka answered bluntly. He chuckled as he watched Naruto's eyes widen in shock and slight shame for never informing his father figure. The brunet merely waved his hand at the matter. "Don't bother feeling bad about it. I'm nosey, so I snooped. And really, I don't think I've met any woman who would send roses to their crush. It's more of a male thing."

The only thing Naruto could do was nod… Tonight was a night of weird awakenings and a lot of momentous moments.

Running his hands through Naruto's golden hair, Iruka sighed wistfully. "It's a great feeling, huh? Love, that is."

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip. "I… don't know. It's way too fast." His mind raced back to his first kiss in the parking lot underneath the dark smoky clouds and burning stars. Another blush quickly conquered his face.

"Most of the greatest love stories happen in a blink of an eye. Take Romeo and Juliet for example."

"I hated that story," Naruto deadpanned. "And they committed suicide in the end."

"For _love_," Iruka stressed but the look on Naruto's face was telling him otherwise. Sighing, Iruka absentmindedly scratched at the scar across his nose. "Alright, bad example. I get it. Anyway, I'm happy for you. Also, you need to bring this boy to dinner one night so I can interro—I mean, meet him."

The smile on Iruka's face sent vivid shivers up and down Naruto's spine.

+I Promise: Just a Little Symbol+

That night when Naruto was unpacking his smelly and dirty clothes from his duffle bag, blue eyes landed on a flowery mess of red...

He smiled, picked up the rose, and sniffed it.

His heart fluttered.

+I Promise: Let's Adjust+

"So you guys are officially a thing now?" Kiba asked. This time he was pigging out on a cupcake. Who said you couldn't have sugary goodness for breakfast?

Naruto nodded, pulling out his supplies for the day before slapping his locker shut. First thing that happened when he walked through the doors of Kingsway High was that Gaara and Kiba ambushed him. They would not leave until they knew, learned, and had engrained every single aspect of what happened yesterday.

Gaara nodded appreciatively, his back planted firmly against an unused locker door. "About time," he said with a scoff. He was secretly happy for his best friend, but he couldn't let Naruto know _that _much.

"So is this going on Facebook or what?"

A tiny blush scarred Naruto's cheeks. "You know not _everything _has to go on Facebook."

"You're right. That's why there's Tumblr." Gaara said.

"What the hell is a Tumblr?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "You poor, uneducated child."

"Tell me, Gaara!" Naruto nearly whined.

"Google it." and that was that.

"Okay, so you don't have to post it on Facebook obnoxiously for likes or Tumble it for reblogs, but you at _least _have to put it as your Myspace status." Kiba nodded like his logic made sense—it didn't.

"Dude," Naruto laughed despite how much he wanted to punch his friends in their faces. They really knew how to brighten up one's already sunny day. "No one uses Myspace anymore." True fact—just so you know.

Easy banter floated around the three boys as Kiba was protesting that people _still _used Myspace—him included. Gaara would shoot down every one of Kiba's ridiculous notions with his sarcastic wit and Naruto would look off to the side every once in a while in search of a certain raven...

"Morning," a familiar voice called. Naruto's face nearly split open in a smile as Sasuke walked up to him and pecked him on the cheek.

"Gah, wait a minute! No PDA!" Really, Naruto was just saying that for appearance's sakes... and because he's silly.

Sasuke shook his head and chuckled. He wrapped a strong arm around Naruto's waist and pulled the blond flush against his body. "Missed you." he said loudly enough so that Gaara and Kiba could hear them as well.

"Can't say I feel the same," Naruto teased.

Kiba gagged, "God, these two are _disgusting. _If I wanted to see sickening romance I'd watch _Lifetime._"

"Don't be jealous, Inuzuka. You'll find someone who can put up with your dog breath eventually." Sasuke smirked at his little joke, mostly because it got a chortle out of Naruto and even a small smile from Gaara.

"Why'd you have to pick the biggest asshole _ever _to date?" Kiba pouted.

Naruto shrugged and blue clashed with onyx. A little messaged was passed between the two—something only they could decipher. Naruto turned back to his brunet friend and smiled.

"It happens."

+I Promise: Sugarcoated Angst+

You know that awkward moment in Life when your older teammate decides he wants to rip your shirt off your body for practice today? Wait, what? That doesn't happen regularly... then Naruto must be a special person. But we'll get to that part later.

As usual soccer practice was anything but normal. The minute Naruto stepped out onto the field he was tackled by Deidara and Suigetsu who wanted to _very _important things from the blond.

"You freaking son of a bitch!" Suigetsu whined, he had pinned Naruto by the wrists while Deidara had a firm hold on Naruto's legs. "Way to keep your friends informed about your love life!"

"I thought we had something, Blondie!" Deidara wiped away his crocodile tears off his shoulder. "You have one minute to explain yourself before we tickle the shit out of you."

"Ew!" Naruto scrunched his face. "That would be so—Ahaha! Hahaha! G-Guys—" he twisted and squirmed against the devilish fingers attacking his armpits and sides. Waterfalls fell from his eyes along with mini-squeaks and yelps that would jump out his throat.

"Explain!" Suigetsu roared.

"Right now!" Deidara added.

"H—aha-ow in-ha-the world-hahaha-am I-I su-HAAHA STOP—pposed to ex-hahaaa-plain when you're—OH GOD STOP—ti-tickling me?"

Good point...

Suigetsu and Deidara exchanged eye conversation before unanimously stopping their tickling takeover. They didn't release the blond, though. They still wanted answers.

Naruto took the welcoming gulps of airs with fever as he controlled his sporadic heartbeat to calmer levels. Once he was sure his guts weren't in any threat of exploding, he sighed and looked up at his two Sempais.

"Sasuke and I are dating. That's it. Can you let go now?"

Deidara scowled and squeezed Naruto's ankles. "That's not what we wanted! Did you guys fuck? Did you blow him or did he blow you? Where are the juicy details, man?"

Suigetsu nodded rigorously. "Yeah, man! We're happy for you and all but if you didn't get all hot and bothered with Uchiha then I'm gonna lose interest _fast_."

A horribly adorable blush took over Naruto's face. Really, Deidara and Suigetsu had no awareness of the word 'shame' at all. "Oh my God... just... just _stop_!" he pleaded. "We've only been dating for two weeks! The only thing we've done is kiss... and hug... and sort of hold hands..." Naruto's face was the color of a rose by now.

"Were there tongues involved?" Deidara asked bluntly.

A part of Naruto died then—probably the best part.

"All right Deidara, Suigetsu," Sasuke appeared in his superhero glory and pried the older blond from Naruto's ankles almost instantly. Naruto's heart hammered obnoxiously against his chest seeing the raven in active wear—a pair of shorts and a formfitting under armor shirt. It wasn't the first time his heartbeat reacted so violently seeing the raven, it was the first time he finally acknowledged it. "You've corrupted him enough. Time to run some laps. I would say around… twenty."

Suigetsu whined like a dog. "Are you _trying _to kill us?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "You act like twenty laps is military work. You've run more than that. Be happy I'm only making you do that much. Now get a move on before I decide to add ten more."

Not without throwing a few more curse words over their shoulders, Suigetsu and Deidara jogged towards their twenty laps of Hell for the day. A satisfied smirk planted nicely on his face, Sasuke extended his hand for his boyfriend…

'_Boyfriend,' _he thought when their hands linked, _'that sounds nice.' _

"Thanks," Naruto muttered shyly. This whole romance thing was pretty new to him, so awkwardness was his constant companion for the past couple of weeks. Their hands were still linked—clasped.

Sasuke smiled and brushed a ghost's kiss against Naruto's flaming skin. "What sort of boyfriend would I be if I didn't help you out when you're in trouble?"

"You like saying that…"

"Saying what?"

"B-Boyfriend," Naruto was a nervous mess today.

The raven squeezed Naruto's hand just a little tighter. "Can't say I hate it."

"Well that's good!" and then Naruto smiled, "I don't hate it either."

+I Promise: Wow, This is Awkward+

Awkward moment of the day: Everyone was running around shirtless _except _for Naruto.

"Naruto. Strip. Now," Itachi commanded. He had a horde of soccer players behind him, nodding along in agreement.

Naruto gulped. _'Why did I play soccer again?' _His hands fiddled with the hem of his shirt. "Uhh… I'm in that awkward age when I'm embarrassed about my body so I think I'll just keep my shirt on, thanks."

Glances were thrown around. No one believed him.

Itachi snapped his fingers, "Hidan," he commanded. Hidan was by his side in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, Weasel-san?"

"Take off Naruto's shirt."

Hidan saluted, "On it!"

"Noooooo!" Naruto screamed, breaking off in a mad dash to get away from the psycho-stripper. He was chased around the field at least ten times before finally being rescued by an irritated raven.

With Naruto wrapped securely in his arms, Sasuke shot off glares to each and every soccer player who had the damn nerve to strip _his _blond. _'My blond,' _he thought with another smile. _'That sounds nice too.'_

"Are you a Benedict Arnold, Otouto?" Itachi asked calmly.

Sasuke held back the urge to roll his eyes. "If Naruto doesn't want to take off his shirt then he doesn't have to. Respect his wishes and stop the stupidity."

Naruto was trying to fight back the blush that wanted to overtake his face. _'Sasuke's half naked… and we're hugging,' _well, more like protecting but that's pretty much the same thing. His heart couldn't take the intimate contact—it threatened to explode in a bundle of glitter and overpowering emotions. He noticed their closeness, Sasuke's signature smell—dark and tinted in cinnamon. He shivered, but it wasn't from the cold.

"Everyone has to do it," Itachi reminded him. "It's tradition."

"You shouldn't push someone out of their comfort box, Aniki. Besides, sometimes tradition needs to be broken or bended a little."

An epic stare-down between brothers commenced shortly after. Wits pitted against wits. Stubborn bulls ready to tear into one another. And then, finally, Itachi relented—reluctantly of course.

"Fine, Naruto can keep on his shirt. But I'm putting you both on one hour of our full conditioning routine, got it?" Sasuke nodded and Naruto followed suit shortly after. "Good, now head up to Field 15 and meet us down here in an hour."

As Naruto and Sasuke jogged up to Field 15, Naruto couldn't help but pass glances towards the toned… shirtless… raven. He gulped. _'I have the urge to touch him…' _touch him everywhere. Mark Sasuke's skin. Claim it… Naruto shook his head wildly. They had stopped by the goal box and Sasuke had started to stretch out his calves. _'Not even a month and I'm having dirty thoughts,' _he slammed his forehead against the goal post. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid—'_

"Naruto?" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, watching his blond slam his head against the goal post. Naruto turned his head around slowly…

"Ahhh…"

Sasuke broke out in bubbles of chuckles, clutching his naked sides as he walked up and brushed a kiss on the blond's forehead. "Don't tell me you're trying to get rid of some dirty thoughts…"

"N-No!" Naruto huffed, blue eyes refusing to clash with onyx. He could hear Sasuke snort. Their bodies were rather close. On impulse Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist and pulled him close. He buried his blushing face into the crook of the raven's neck. "Thanks, though. For what you did back there."

A shiver jumped up and down Sasuke's spine like an elevator gone haywire. He returned the embrace then pulled back, pushing Naruto away at arm's length. His eyes said "Thank you" but there was also a lingering question that needed to be voiced.

Nimble fingers gently brushed and whispered along Naruto's clothed stomach. Sasuke could feel the tiny sets of abs there, the constricting of Naruto's stomach, and the chill that danced up the blond's spine from the contact. "Your uneasiness… what is it about your stomach that you don't want to show?"

The bluntness of the question didn't dull down the emotions Naruto could feel dripping off those words—the worry, the propensity, and comfort. His eyes unconsciously fell to his clothed stomach, what was hidden beneath so a thin layer shot out from the shirt—the image already burned in his head. Naruto slowly shook his hand and grasped Sasuke's fingers. _'I can't tell him,' _he thought with dread and guilt stabbing his mind. _'Not yet…'_

As if reading Naruto's mind, the raven placed a kiss on those trembling lips. Soft and sweet at first, but it soon turning dangerously passionate as a tongue slipped into Naruto's mouth and started to lay claim on that delicious cavern.

The blond's knees buckled, such powerful sensations being too much to bear. When they finally broke apart, a thin strand of saliva connecting their lips, Sasuke melded their bodies together and rested his forehead against Naruto's.

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me now." He smirked, rubbing lazy circles on Naruto's lower back. "But I will want to know eventually."

Naruto sighed, though a smile fought its way on his face. "I'll tell you one day, Teme, but you're going to have to earn it."

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><p>I hope this chapter was up to your expectations! And yes, we are dipping into a little angst but it won't be major! I assure you, I'm still deciding what to do with this new twist in the plot, though... SO YEAH! I'm going to torture you all and update next week (once chapter 12 is done 8D) haha.<p>

**One day, a baby panda was walking down the street. It took a wrong turn, and disappeared off the face of the Earth. However, all is not lost. One review can rescue a kidnapped baby panda. Let us take them off the endangered speieces list by reviewing...**

(Why yes, I do have fun with this 8D).


	12. Heart of Clay Ninth Promise

As always, I've worked my buttocks off to get this chapter up for you guys :D THANK YOU FOR SAVING SO MANY BABY PANDAS! You guys make my days with your love c:

**Warning: Well, on the bright side this story will now be 21 chapters instead of 20. Because I can never follow my plotlines to a T so yeah... ;) LOL. I like it this way though c: Also, this chapter is totally fluffy as future chapters shall probably be dipped in slight angst soon :D So yeah, enjoy the sugar rush while it lasts...**

**Disclaimer: I own my love for SHINee, my Sims 2 Double Deluxe, these kickass plaid socks I'm wearing, and two panda plushes... but NOT Naruto. Why is the world so CRUEL?**

Enjoy you beautiful people! :D

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><p><strong>C<strong>**hapter Twelve: Heart of Clay**

**+Ninth Promise: Just Wait For Me+**

Lunch today was spent with just the gang today—Kiba, Naruto, and Gaara. Sasuke, once again, had been missing from school. More than once Naruto had wanted to ask him why he would be missing on certain days from school (Fridays on some months and Wednesdays on other months) but whenever he wanted to ask the words wouldn't come. So he let it drop… for now.

Something more important wanted to take over its place.

"So, have you guys done it yet?" Kiba asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Naruto's face turned cherry red. "Why does _everyone _want to know about my sex life? We've only been dating for two months! The only thing we've 'done' is kiss and hang out…"

Kiba nearly choked on his pudding cup. Today it was chocolate. He alternated a lot. "Dude, I… I didn't even—Dude! Gah, get your mind out of the fucking gutter! I was _going _to ask if you've guys done the whole "I love you" crap but _obviously_your mind is elsewhere right now."

"The Uchiha has corrupted you well," Gaara teased.

The blond gently bashed his hand against the tree trunk. Though, no matter how many times he tried, his idiocy would never be knocked out of him.

"Sooo…" Kiba watched his friend with amusement dancing in his eyes, "I'm gonna guess that's a 'No' for 200$!"

Naruto, finally done with his little moment of insanity, looked up to view his two friends and sighed. "It's been two months," he emphasized, "we don't have to rush things."

"But you want him to say it," Gaara pointed out.

The blond shrugged, though his eyes betrayed him heavily. "It would be nice."

"You know, I was a little worried when I heard you two got together," Kiba admitted, his pudding cup was long forgotten by now. "I had flashbacks of last year and they weren't pretty. I know Uchiha's a nice guy but I'm still iffy."

"Guys, he's… I don't know," Naruto scratched his nose. An imaginary hand was searching and reaching for the right words to grab on and say. "Sasuke's just… different. Yeah, he's a bastard twenty-four seven, but when we're together…" he smiled and leaned back against the tree, "it's amazing."

+I Promise+

That night, Naruto was found doing what all love struck teenage girls have done—doodling hearts and names and stick figures in their notebook. Naruto was manlier than that, though. So his stick figures were a little chunkier, his hearts a little bigger, and the words a little larger. It had started when he wrote his name at the top of his paper (he was in the middle of starting on his homework) and then he just happened to write Sasuke's name beside him.

'_There__'__s __a __gap __between __our __names,__' _he frowned. So he put a plus sign in the middle. That wasn't enough, though. Then he drew a circle, entrapping their names together. _'__It __should __be __a __heart.__' _And one thing led to another… a pair of stick figures, one with spiky blond hair and one with raven locks standing side by side, holding hands, with anime smiles on their faces.

Resting his cheek in the palm of his hands, Naruto smiled all silly-like. "It's been a long time since I've felt like this." Kiba's words pounded through his head in the silence.

"_I was going to ask if you've guys done the whole "I love you" crap but obviously your mind is elsewhere right now." _

'_I__'__m __really __not __bothered __by __it,__' _the assurance wasn't sinking in fast enough. Naruto rolled on his back, a sea of blankets and mountains of pillows cushioning his body. Blue eyes were trained on the ceiling, as racing thoughts zoomed through Naruto's mind. "I told him I wanted to take things slow," he whispered into the night. His heart ached a little. "But maybe he just doesn't want to commit…? No, he doesn't think that. He hasn't _told _me yet but he shows me…'

His sides burned from the memories of Sasuke's fingers touching him.

+I Promise: A Few Weeks Later+

"Morning, Dobe."

"Morning, Teme."

Naruto leaned up to peck Sasuke on the cheek, only to have a rose pushed into his face. A petal got snuffed up his nose in the collision.

"Gah," Naruto swatted his face, ignoring the chuckles coming out from his boyfriend. He narrowed his blue his towards the raven. "What if I were allergic to roses, huh? You could have blown up my nose with that!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Really, his blond could be such a dork sometimes. "If you were allergic then I'd be sending you tulips instead. Also, your nose is fine." And just to prove his point Sasuke kissed Naruto on the nose. He pulled back smirking. "It's cute, too."

By the time Sasuke pulled back, Naruto's face was already tomato red. All this affection was going to be the death of him one of these days. "You're so embarrassing," he mumbled half-heatedly, taking the rose from Sasuke's hand and twirling it around his fingers. His heart was waiting for that promise to get tugged along by the invisible string attached to the stem.

Smirking, the raven put on his most offended face, only to burst out laughing when Naruto crossed his eyes in mockery. "I thought my actions were sort of awe worthy—admirable even."

Naruto looked at his boyfriend as if he had grown a second head. Shaking his head at the ludicrous things Sasuke could say sometimes, Naruto pinched Sasuke's cheek. "You can only dream, babe. By the way, you gonna leave me hanging with this promise or are you gonna tell me? Because let me say this now, I _suck _at 20 Questions. I ask ridiculous questions."

"Well—"

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

Students that were loitering around the halls quickly shuffled here and there, scrambling to get to their classes.

"Fuck!" Naruto grabbed onto the sleeve of Sasuke's shirt with a glare. "Don't even think about running away until you tell me your promise, Sasuke!"

"Sorry, Dobe." Sasuke pressed a chaste kiss to Naruto's lips. "You'll just have to wait till Art class."

"Uh... I...!" Sasuke had already turned around the corner before Naruto could voice anything...

Naruto was left with the image of Sasuke smirking burned in his mind, and the feeling of his stomach clenching and twisting into knots as he walked into his English class.

+I Promise+

"He's still giving out roses?" it was independent study time in English, and as usual no one was really studying. It wasn't like Jiraiya-sensei cared one way or another. Gaara and Naruto were sitting at the back table "studying". Well, the only thing that was being studied was Sasuke's weird habits and inclination towards roses, and what he could possibly promise Naruto now since they're already dating.

Naruto nodded. His chin rested nicely in the palm of his hands. He couldn't for the life of him understand Sasuke no matter how hard he tried. _'All __I __end __up __with __is __a __huge __headache... __and __a growling stomach__.'_

Gaara simply clucked his tongue and handed the blonde his rose back. "Of all the people you could have dated, it had to be the one with a rose fetish."

"It's not a rose fetish! He's just..." Naruto scratched his imaginary beard, "socially awkward."

The redhead scoffed. "That's it."

"It is! So are you going to help me figure this out or not?" Naruto took out a piece of notebook paper and clicked his glittery blue pen a few times until the point was sticking out ready to scar some paper. "Okay, so I scribbled down a few ideas of what the promise could be and I think I'm pretty close..."

_'I'm __going __to __regret __looking __at __this,'_with great hesitation—Gaara's curiosity could challenge any child's—Gaara took up the paper and read down the list. "I'll give you a foot massage...? I'll promise to name our future spawn Naruto Jr. …?" Gaara slammed down the paper, "I'll promise to buy you a country so we can rule as king and king?"

"What? They sound logical, right?"

The redhead rolled up the sheet of paper and tossed it into the trash. "That's what I think about your 'logic'."

"Gaara! Why the _fuck_did you throw out my list?"

"Naruto! Get your butt up here now! This is _quiet _independent study hour!"

Snickers erupted haphazardly around the room as Naruto cursed under his breath and started to gather his stuff up. "I hate you," he hissed towards the redhead who simply smiled him off.

"Lying's not your forte either."

+I Promise+

Finally, the most anticipated part of the day had come.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" Naruto all but nearly tackled the raven onto the floor the minute they reached Art.

Sasuke—loving the position they were in on the inside—groaned in annoyance and reluctantly pushed the blonde off. Now if Naruto had pushed him onto a _bed_... this would be a totally different story.

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki?" two could surely play at this game.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, "You know what I want."

"Sex?"

"W-What?" the blonde was always caught off guard by how bluntly Sasuke could say things at times. "No! That's not what I meant!"

Sasuke chuckled, discreetly reaching for Naruto's hand and rubbing each and every knuckle. "I know," he whispered. "Just give a me a few minutes, okay?" they disconnected. With each step Sasuke took Naruto felt his heart grow a little deeper...

_'What __the __heck?' _Naruto plopped down into his seat, automatically pulling out drawing pencils and his sketchbook for class. _'Calm __down, __Uzumaki. __Sasuke __will __tell __you __the __promise __and __then __you __can __go __about __the__re rest __of __the __day.'_ his heart constricted a little as Naruto random doodle and spiral circle going inwards, _'I __wonder...__what __will __it __be?'_

"You look like a girl, dude." Kiba sat down on the stool across from Naruto. His words were sprinkled with mischief.

"And you look like a dude more than I do?" Naruto scoffed and pulled at Kiba's newly tattooed cheeks. "Upside down fangs, dude? _Really? _You actually let Suigetsu pimp out your face?"

"Hey!" Kiba smacked Naruto's hand away. "It's not like I _wanted _him near my face! Besides, it's face paint. So don't touch it! It'll smear!"

"Oh my God..." Naruto shook his head, holding back his laughter. "I can't believe you let Suigetsu near you with a paintbrush! What did he do to convince you?"

Kiba blushed faintly. "You don't wanna know dude..."

The next half hour of Art class was spent with the occasional conversation over which Madden team was better, followed by Kiba leaving to get his daily palette of water colors. Naruto sat at the table idly drawing on some sketch he was working on involving some kid in a panda suit. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice when a familiar body pressed up against his back and rested their chin on his shoulder.

"S-Sasuke!" Naruto whisper-yelped. Sasuke's death danced up and down the fine hairs trailing his neck. Naruto had warned Sasuke time and time again to keep the PDA at a minimum while they were in Art because of a certain pink-haired girl who shall not be named...

"What? Am I not allowed to come up behind you like a ninja?"

"You're scary when you joke," Naruto deadpanned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Do you want your promise or not?"

The blonde spun around in his seat, blue eyes sparkling like sapphire jewels in the sunlight. "Yes, please!"

_'How __can __anyone __be __so __innocent...?' _Shaking his head, Sasuke manned up the courage to dig into his pockets and pull out his promise...

A heart made out of clay.

"What's this?" Naruto took the object gingerly. The heart was about the size of his palm and was pure white. The blonde cocked an eyebrow, "This is cute but... what does it mean?"

A small, uncharacteristic blush scarred the raven's cheeks. _'Really, __I __should __have __picked __a __better __timing...' _with a sigh, Sasuke gathered his gumption and placed his hand over Naruto's.

"It's a heart... Sort of to represent my heart... that you already hold and—Fuck, I'm so not good with words."

And just when he thought Sasuke couldn't get any sweeter—or cornier for that matter. Despite what he had said earlier about keeping things discreet in art, Naruto wrapped his arms around the raven's waist and hugged him tightly. Half the school already knew they were dating (thanks to two special soccer players we all know and love) and really, if Sakura saw them being intimate... _'I __don't __think __I __would __care.'_

"So Uchihas _do _have cute sides to them," Naruto giggled.

"Dobe," Sasuke returned the hug, a small smile tugged at his lips. "Uchihas are _known _for being their seduction tactics."

"So every Uchiha sends roses and promises to their crush?" Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke returned the smirk, "Only the devilishly handsome ones."

"Naruto and Sasuke! Save the PDA for _later_!" the teacher barked.

Both teens jumped apart out of slight shock. Their teacher _was _a raging bull after all. Sasuke pulled up a stool next to Naruto and the two picked up their conversation from their, this time with their hands interlocked underneath the table.

"Just wait for me..." the raven whispered, stroking the blonde's hand. "I'll be able to say it one day."

"It's fine," Naruto smiled. He may have been a little nervous before but now he felt pretty stable. He knew Sasuke felt something more, just like he did, it would just take a little while to say it. "When you finally say it we gotta paint this heart. I was thinking orange... a really _bright _orange!"

"What heart have you seen that's orange?"

"My heart, of course. It pumps out orange blood everyday!"

"Only you, Dobe..."

"Uhh..."

The two looked up from the table to clash with sea-green eyes clouded with confusion and pain... Naruto gulped. _'Oh __shit,'_ he thought, mentally facepalming over and over again. The moment he wish he never had to collide with head on just smacked him right in the face.

"Naruto... you're… dating Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah... we are" Naruto somehow managed to stare Sakura right in the eyes. The tiny sliver of thought flashed through his mind. Just a few months ago he was fawning over the girl before him who would never return his feelings. And now... _'Now __I'm __with __the __guy __she __wants...'_

Sometimes Life enjoys fucking with people in more ways than one.

"Why?" she asked after what seemed to be an eternity.

"Why not?" Sasuke interjected. Onyx eyes were narrowed at the field hockey player who took a step back.

Sakura swallowed, gripping onto the collar of her shirt. "It's just... I never thought you'd be..."

"Gay?" Sasuke raised their interlocked hands to prove a point. He shrugged and lowered them back under the table. "I'm not gay. I just like Naruto—a lot. He's the one I want to be with; no one else."

Naruto was sure if this was a cartoon, he'd be able to see the literal words of Reality slam down on Sakura's shoulders by the way her shoulders sagged in defeat. _'I __can __almost __hear __her __heart __breaking.' _it was loud and cracked with guilt... funny thing was Naruto didn't feel guilty at all. If anything, he felt a little pitiful.

It seemed like Sakura was processing through her mind what to do. And then her eyes landed on the clay heart Sasuke had given Naruto earlier. "So you're happy?"

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto followed suit.

Somehow, Sakura managed to find a smile to put on her face. "Then I'm happy for you guys..." she turned around briskly and walked away. Crystal tears clinging onto the sides of her eyes.

With Sakura gone, Naruto felt like the air around them was a little lighter and easier to breathe in.

"You know..." Naruto casually spun his colored pencil around and around, "that wasn't too bad. Though I didn't expect it."

"Life's all about expecting the unexpected." Sasuke said.

"Ooo, wise words, Uchiha." the blonde chuckled softly. "I really liked her." Naruto said after a few quick seconds of silence.

"I know."

"She's really cute, too."

"… Hn."

"Jealous, Teme?" Naruto cocked an amused eyebrow.

Sasuke scoffed, "Not in the least."

Naruto laughed, leaning over to peck the raven on the cheek. He didn't know why he did that, but he just did. _'__Because __I__can.__' _He thought giddily. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I think you're cuter, especially since you went out of your way to make me a clay heart! I'm totally hanging that up in my room."

Sasuke only puffed out his cheeks.

* * *

><p>You know I really don't hate Sakura o_o. She was a cool character in Shippuden, sort of. And she never really stood a chance with Sasuke because APPARENTLY the author wanted to turn the story Shounen-ai... from what I've read online o.o. SO YEAH. SASUNARU FOREVER! KISHIMOTO SHIPS THAT! LOL. I'll stop talking now and get on with the panda thingy ;D. LOL hopefully this wasn't too cheesy... o3o<p>

**Baby pandas are cute. They're even cuter when they check their little mailbox and see that someone left a review for their wonderful leader, Fallen. Wouldn't you like to brighten up a baby panda's day? Then please, gain one more smile in the world by reviewing.**

**SMILING MAKES YOU LIVE LONGER! :D**


	13. We're Going to Crack the Surface

Yup, it's almost 11 here and I'm STILL posting for you guys. Thank you so much for all your support! :D You guys make my day, and sorry I haven't replied to you all D: I'm forgetful and busy and usually that's a terrible mix... but yeah, I know you all wanted to know where I got my information for the actual sasunaru pairing, and I found the interview on livejournal. I'll google it and post the link onto my profile either tonight or tomorrow. (:

**Warning: I make things cute, fluffy, and humorous EVEN A LITTLE SEXUAL IN THE BEGINNING, but then I just gotta go all zebra stomping bunny hopping panda chomping angsty. Wait... those animals are cute o.o. What the fuck am I saying right now?**

**Disclaimer: I own my invisible straight jacket! It has hearts on it c:**

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: We're Going to Crack the Surface<strong>

**+The Tenth Promise: Acceptance+**

"I... I don't want you to go," Naruto whispered against parted lips. He had lost count of how many times he and Sasuke kissed in the front seat. Sasuke's body was pressed flat against his, giving Naruto sharpened senses towards the curves of Sasuke's body, how well they molded together, and the pattering, hammering sounds of the raven's heartbeat.

Sasuke pressed a searing kiss on Naruto's neck. Trailed kisses all the way down to the blond's collarbone, then sighed. The scent of his blond was intoxicating—light and fresh like newly done laundry. "Hn..." he clasped their hands together in an unbreakable bond. "Can I comes upstairs?" he whispered towards Naruto's reddening ear.

Naruto audibly gulped. His heart was demanding to escape from its bony prison it could entangle and knot itself in-between Sasuke's heartstrings. His fingers desperately itched to claw at _naked _skin—to make fresh marks and claims. But his mind was hesitant, as always when it came to this final gap to jump over. His heart was ready to move on; it already had. It was now in the clutches of a new, gentler host. His mind—the torturous subconscious that trapped his minds and thoughts in a steel cage—was holding back. It reminded his body in silent tremors and frigid shivers about the _last _pair of hands that touched his body.

Defiled it.

Marked it.

Bruised and burned it.

The raven pulled back, taking the air of silence around them as the answer. Onyx eyes clashed with blue—understanding grinding with guilt. Sasuke smiled softly, the smile reserved for the blond, and pressed their lips together in a simple kiss.

"Though my lower body may not be too happy about your answer, I won't rush. I already promised you that."

And if Naruto wasn't already aware of Sasuke's little issue already...

"Dammit, Sasuke!" Naruto leaned his head back on the seat, "Don't point things out that are _extremely _obvious—Ahhh!" Sasuke had rolled his hips into Naruto's, their prominent erections grinding dangerously close to one another. Blue eyes snapped up in anger, only to be watered down by playful onyx orbs. "You said you were gonna take it slow!"

Sasuke smirked—a deadly sin in itself. "Oops," he attempted to look sorry but he failed; miserably.

"That's it," the blond squirmed in his seat, a little more than anxious to push Sasuke off. "You're _never _getting into my house now. I forever ban you from even thinking about coming in!"

The raven rolled his eyes, using all his body weight to keep Naruto firmly in place. They had time, and it wasn't like they had anywhere to go. "Naruto, please, you act like I'm going to respect your wishes."

"Because you will!"

Sasuke snorted and poked Naruto on the nose. "In your dreams, Dobe."

November air chilled the walls of the car, whispering the approaches of a cold Winter approaching. Despite that, Naruto felt warmth seeping to the very roots of his bones. Granted, that could just be from the hormones pumping crazily through his system, but Sasuke was a huge contributor to that heat. With a sigh, Naruto rested his head against Sasuke's shoulder and blindly searched for the car lock.

"You're not going to win this one," Naruto mumbled, pulling up the car lock.

"Those are the words of the defeated talking," Sasuke shot back. He placed his hand over the blond's and pressed their lips together. "You can't leave yet..." he whispered and kissed Naruto again. "Just a few more kisses."

The kisses started off soft and tender at first, then escalated into something bigger. Sasuke's tongue had slipped into Naruto's mouth and was now mapping out the hot cavern he had come to crave for so much. Their tongues touched. Electricity burned up and down their spines. Moans were swallowed and eaten up by the passion.

And Naruto was drowning. Drowning in the heat. Drowning in all the moans, and touches, and thrusting hips. His mind was swirling into a tizzy. His thoughts did not connect, but were merely disjointed—and all from a dirty kiss.

Their lips broke apart, but their tongues still touched, and lapped, and played. Sasuke's thumb pads were digging into Naruto's hipbones. Circles were drawn into the clothed skin before curious digits start to sneak up the blond's shirt…

"No!" the blond gripped onto Sasuke's wrists. Blue eyes were widened in alarm. He saw the shock pour into Sasuke's eyes before they dulled down with acceptance—brutal, cold acceptance. "Sorry," Naruto whispered feebly. His heart was on the verge of giving out. "I-I'm self-conscious…"

"What are you hiding?"

The words were strung together by gentle touches to the face, caresses—whispers. However, the emotion in them was enough to slice Naruto's heart in half. He swallowed. The words he wanted to say, to make known, were trapped back in their cage. Fear locked them up.

"I'm... sorry."

Next thing Naruto knew he was standing at the curb, clutching onto his duffle bag, waving lamely towards the raven who's face was pointed straight ahead. Naruto wasn't kicked out of the Jeep, he simply walked out himself after Sasuke pulled away from him.

"Sorry," Naruto whispered. Guilt iced his words.

Sasuke nodded slowly, and somehow managed to slip a tiny smile on his face. "It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

The black Jeep quickly blended into the night. Regret pumped furiously through his veins as he stumbled into his apartment building. _'Why __can't __I __tell __him?' _Naruto had a firm grip on the door handle now. It was cold and froze his shaking hands. _'He __deserves __to __know. __Granted... __I __don't __really __know __anything __about __him __either...'_

And that's when it hit him.

_'We're like strangers.'_

His duffle bag plummeted to the ground, heavy with realization. The blond sighed and pushed back his ever-growing bangs out of his eyes.

"Oh hey, Naruto you're—you're looking pretty down," Iruka walked out of the kitchen, his classic light blue apron tied around his waist. His hands were covered with soapsuds so he swiftly wiped them off his apron and walked over to Naruto; hugging him tightly. "Did Sasuke-kun say something to you? Should I send Kakashi on his ass?"

"No," the blond sighed. He really did love Iruka—a lot—but the man was overprotective and over dramatic to the extreme sometimes. "_It _came up into the conversation." blue eyes shot down towards his stomach.

Iruka got the message loud and clear.

"Come on," he said leading Naruto to the kitchen. "I'll make you some ramen and a hot cup of chocolate. Then we'll talk about it, okay?"

Naruto simply nodded. His stomach was craving for something hot right now, if only to warm up the bone-chilling frost that had come to conquer it not too long ago.

+I Promise+

"You're going to have to tell him about the mark sooner or later, Naruto." Iruka swirled his black coffee around and around in his cup. It was nearly eleven pm and the two had been talking for hours about every ounce of insecurity Naruto still clung onto. "We've gotten passed the emotional scarring already, holding onto such a secret is going to push Sasuke-kun away sooner or later."

"I know that," Naruto's cheek was pressed against the cool table top. His eyes were stinging and he had a loud headache knocking against his skull from five minutes of intense bawling.

"If he loves you, then he'll accept you no matter what."

A smile wiggled its way to Naruto's face. "Funny how that sounds like a Facebook quote."

Iruka matched the smile, "It's even funnier that I posted that today and I got around twenty likes."

By the end of that night, Iruka's post had gotten up to forty likes and Naruto felt a little more confident.

'_I__'__ll __tell __him,__'_ Naruto thought, snuggling into his bed covers. _'__When __the __time __comes.__'_

+I Promise: We'll Open You Up One by One+

The next morning Naruto woke up with his cellphone balancing on his nose.

"How did this…?"

"You could sleep through the apocalypse, couldn't you?" Gaara was sitting Indian style on Naruto's bed, leafing through the pages of some random manga he found in Naruto's bookcase.

"We even poked you none stop and you still wouldn't wake up," Kiba added in. He had perched himself on Naruto's desk and was reading through his text messages. "I thought you were dead."

"Then I told him you weren't."

"So I said let's feel him up a little and see if we get a reaction."

"To which I scoffed and reminded him that you were taken property."

Naruto blinked back the sleepiness from his eyes, though it still clogged up his mind. He slowly sat up and took in the sight of his two best friends idly sitting in his room as if they were meant to be there all along.

"Iruka let you in?" he asked finally, stretching out kinks. It was a Saturday morning. And that normally meant the three of them got together for Saturday morning cartoons at the blond's house. Yeah, it was a ritual—they loved it.

Kiba nodded, "Yup. Told us not to blow down the house. Jeez! One accident with the toaster and I can't eat breakfast in the kitchen anymore!"

Gaara shook his head, "It's not like we eat in there anyways. We always conquer the couch." Then he turned to Naruto, "Oh yeah. You're phone kept on vibrating. It even fell of the desk. You've got like, ten messages from Uchiha."

"What?" Naruto's heart pounded obnoxiously as he grabbed his cellphone that had dropped into the blankets and flipped it open. What was supposed to be ten was actually twelve—six from Uchiha and the other six from Deidara who didn't understand the concept of "If I didn't answer once, then obviously I must be busy".

"We already read the messages from Deidara. They were all forwards," Kiba said. "One of them was really creepy though... Like if you don't send it in the next ten minutes you'll receive a visit from Amber Conway in your sleep and be whisked away to Hell."

The redhead looked at Kiba as if he had just sprouted two heads. "Those aren't even real, dumbass."

"Ha!" Kiba stabbed his finger in Gaara's face, "Tell that to Lisa Moore!"

"Who?"

The brunet crossed his arms, "Exactly," he said haughtily.

Naruto wasn't really paying any attention to the banter being thrown around him—it was usual for a Saturday morning and half the things that came out of Kiba's mouth were less than logical—and scrolled through his messages sent from his beloved raven.

_Sorry about last night. Hope you're not too mad—Sasuke._

_Btw. I saw what you did with my background. I don't want to know where you got the cat ears from though... :L but it was... cute (;_

_Oh, I sent you a picture to. So you can put it on your background... unless that's creepy... but then you can't complain about never seeing my beautiful ;D face enough._

… _* heart *_

Naruto mentally snapped a picture of that heart. It meant a lot of things with only a simple symbol.

The last two messages were just Itachi stealing Sasuke's phone and sending lewd text messages, a few Kiba had actually read out loud in a seductively tantalizing voice. Needless to say, everyone was thoroughly scarred for the rest of their lives.

A few minutes later the trio found themselves in Naruto's living room with a bowl of cereal in one hand, a spoon in the other, and a mind ready and willing to be turned into mush.

"So where should we start today?" the blond picked up the remote and started flipping through channels. "Cartoon Network, CW4kids, Nick, or screw them all and go with On Demand?"

"It's nine so Pokémon should be on right now. Oi, Gaara, pass me the Coco Puffs and Reese's Puffs please!" Kiba barked, stretching over the blond in the middle for the box.

"Hold your paws back, mutt." Gaara handed over the box of cereals with little complaint. "I'm not in the mood for Pokémon, Let's watch Yu-Gi-Oh."

"No way!" Naruto shot out. "They censor the shit out of that show."

Gaara smirked like sin, "That's why you watch it; for the kicks."

He had a point. Watching American censorship _is_a good laugh.

"Okay, so since we're not going to get _anywhere_with this..." Naruto pressed the ON DEMAND button and the interface popped up. He searched for _Supah __Ninjas _and pressed a random episode to play. "I needed to catch up on this anyways."

"Dude, at least pick some cartoons!" Kiba whined. He reached over in an attempt to pull the remote from the blond's but failed. Naruto was just too much of a ninja for him to beat.

"My house, my _couch_," the blond plopped his feet on the coffee table and took a spoonful of Captain Crunch in his mouth, "my rules."

"Can't beat logic," Gaara said after spooning down some Trix.

Thirty minutes into the show and Kiba and Naruto had gotten into a game where they would watch the episode once, then see how many lines they could recite in time with the actual actors. Gaara was the judge; and right now the two were pretty even—in failing miserably at the game.

"You two suck at this game," the redhead was scrolling up and down through his phone, not really looking at anything to be honest.

"I'd like to see yo—_DING__DONG__—_Ugh," Naruto pushed himself off the couch albeit reluctantly and trudged towards the door.

"Morning," Sasuke was propped up against door frame with a knowing smirk on his face. He leaned forward and kissed Naruto on the mouth. "I like your morning attire. It screams..." pulling back, he tugged at the waistband of Naruto's sweatpants, "I wore these because they're easier to take off in a rush"."

By now, Naruto was used to the raven's impromptu sexual comments. It was just the catcalls, wolf whistles, and perverted comments his best friends had to throw in that made his face explode and the urge to dig a hole grow immensely.

"Ow, ow! Get some, Blondie!" Kiba hollered.

"Use protection," Gaara reminded.

Naruto bashed his head against the open door. "I'm sorry my friends are idiots."

Sasuke shrugged, "They've started to grow on me. Are you going to let me in?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to answer the secret code." Naruto teased.

"Oh really now?"

"Yup! Here's the question: Why are you at my house so early and... is that a rose in your back pocket?" craning his head so he could get a better view of the flowery bundle, Naruto leaned in closer only to get blocked by an overconfident looking Sasuke.

"Can't you have any patience?" he sighed in mock shame. "I'll have to talk to your guardian about this..."

"Sasuke! Answer my damn question already!"

"Well I _was _thinking about taking you on a date..."

"At..." Naruto shot a glance at the clock, "Ten-thirty in the morning?"

"Sure," the raven shrugged. "Why not?"

Good point.

"You guys going out?" Kiba called from the living room. He had the remote in one hand flipping through channels and a spoon dangling from his mouth.

"Pretty much!" Sasuke called back.

"No we're not!" Naruto defended, and then whirled around to give Sasuke "The Look". "First of all it's _almost _eleven and I haven't had my ten bowls of Captain Crunch yet to start the day. _Also..._maybe I don't want to go with you."

"But you do," the look in Sasuke's eyes told Naruto that he could see every bluff the blond was spewing out. Well that was fine. Naruto was only being difficult for the hell of it anyways. Grabbing Naruto's hand, the raven pulled him towards the door. "Come on. I know this great place in the city that sells these Nutella Crepes I _know _you'll love."

"Nutella Crepes?" Naruto's stomach literally growled its agreement. The blond held his tummy in mild embarrassment and shot one more glance towards his friends on the couch.

"Make sure you bring him back by five," Kiba said listlessly.

"Better yet, don't even bring him back." Gaara added in.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do sober—and even then just sit down and count your toes."

"Keep the PDA down to a minimum."

"And Heaven forbid if I see you two on the news...!"

"Okay, okay!" Naruto had his head buried in Sasuke's chest with a humongous wildfire threatening to burn off his skin. "You guys are so fucking embarrassing I'm about to remove you from my list of friends I actually can stand!"

Kiba and Gaara exchanged looks before turning back to the TV screen.

"It's so funny seeing him make jokes like that when he knows he's not that funny..." the brunet shook his head and sighed, channel surfing once more.

"Poor kid," Gaara added in. "Uchiha, text us if anything happens."

"Got it," the raven nodded and attempted to drag Naruto out the door again only to be stopped... again.

"What is it now, Naruto?" Sasuke was getting a little impatient. He had the _whole _day planned out but Naruto was being difficult, stubborn... and simply Naruto!

"Well I'm not about to go out there in a pullover and sweats, Sasuke!" Naruto huffed.

Sasuke muttered something under his breath, pulled off his own jacket, and placed it on Naruto's shoulders. "There, now you have a jacket on. Can we go now... please?"

An act of kindness _and _a please? Naruto had to give in now...

A small smile tugged its way on his face as he latched their fingers together and headed out the door. "Yup! Let's go! I'm itching to try out some Nutella Crepes!"

"Bring some back for us, buddy!" Kiba cried out before them.

The reply: A door slamming shut that could easily be interpreted as: "Fuck no. You're on your own."

+I Promise+

They entered the cafe hand-in-hand. It was a normal date for a normal couple on a normal Saturday morning. Sasuke picked them out a spot with a great view of the city and they started to poke around the menu.

"I hope you know I'll probably be eating nothing but Nutella," Naruto warned Sasuke. His stomach would jump and cheer every time it landed on something that had, started, or _mentioned _the word Nutella. He was an addict through and through.

Sasuke chuckled and pointed Naruto to the section of the menu where it featured all its Nutella products. "This place is known for their creative uses with Nutella."

"Wow," Naruto's eyes sparkled as he read through the choices. He looked up at Sasuke and beamed like the sun. "I can't believe you found a place like this."

The raven tried to look as nonchalant as possible but his mask was cracking. _'Why __would __I __even __put __it __on __in __the __first __place? __Naruto __can __break __it __apart __in __seconds __without __even __trying.'_" It wasn't too hard. I was looking for a place like this for you so..."

"Okay, that's it," Naruto threw the menu down and flashed his hands in the air in surrender. "You are, in the history of boyfriends, the _best _and deserve a reward."

Sasuke cocked an amused eyebrow, "A reward you say?"

"Yup! Anything you want, I'll most likely give it to you."

"Well then, with a guarantee of most likely," Sasuke teased, but then his eyes hardened over with severe solemnity. "I'd like to learn more about you."

"As a reward?" Naruto's stomach turned into pretzels.

The raven clasped their fingers together. "As a reward."

_'Of __course __he __asks __for __this,'_the blond mentally chastised himself for being swept up in the hype and offering up something he knew he'd regret later. Funny thing he was... he couldn't find the dewdrops of regret anywhere... With a sigh, Naruto drew invisible circles on the glass table. "All right, I _did _say I'd give you a reward. But you have to put something on the table too, Sasuke."

There was a brief bout of hesitation in the raven's eyes before he nodded. "Sounds good. It'll be an exchange; a question for a question, an answer for an answer."

And that's how the riddles became clearer more... solid. The lines were less blurred and more realistic. The missing puzzle pieces you thought were lost for an eternity had come to fill in the blanks needed to complete the picture. Notes to the score came in to perfect the melody of the gap being filled, of two hearts connecting, of emotions and words being shared with the one person your heart seems to yearn for the most.

"So you skip school sometimes because of your father...?" Naruto had finished his Nutella Mocha and was now busying himself by swirling his bendy straw around and around... and around. When Sasuke nodded, Naruto hummed in thought. "And you and Itachi are like... spawns of a corporate King Kong?"

Sasuke nearly chocked on his hot chocolate. "You... you _seriously _view it like that?" sometimes he wondered why he liked Naruto so much. Then he reminded himself, _'It's __the __moments __like __these __that __I __like.'_and he really couldn't argue with the logic of his heart. "Okay, yes. My father is King Kong."

"Holy shit... I mean, I knew you guys were rich and everything but... your dad has business like... _everywhere_. Are you sure he's not secretly president of the world or something?"

"No, but he's certainly a tyrant," Sasuke muttered under his breath. "Sending his kids off to manage parts of his business as a way to 'Get you ready for the real world'. Bull shit."

_'I__don't__want__to__say__something__like__ "__I__know...__"__,'_so he said the next best thing: "That sucks, babe."

The raven smirked coyly, "That it does."

"Okay, so your dad's a dick. I can see that. You must have gotten that part of you _somewhere_," Naruto teased. "Oh don't pout, you'll get wrinkles. So what about your mom? What's she like?"

"She's the book definition of anti-social," Sasuke grounded out. Okay, Naruto wasn't expecting _that _as an answer. "My mother's a work-a-holic who doesn't believe in the word 'vacation' and holes herself dealing her online business empire." he sighed and rested his chin in the palm of his hand, "It's rather annoying."

"So overall your house has issues?" Naruto concluded.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Well, if it makes you feel better... my parents are dead."

Onyx eyes blinked back the truth; the blind, _naked _truth. Sasuke's jaw went slack. "Dobe, how in the _world _is that going to make me feel better?"

Naruto shrugged lazily and stretched out his arms behind his head. "I dunno. I honestly don't know if they're dead, but I haven't seen them in years, so they're either lost, captured by rabid foreigners, or dead. The last one seemed realistic enough for me to believe all these years."

"So you just automatically assume the worst?"

"Well, my _dad's _dead. That's for sure. He died the day I was born. Mom... Eh, I'm not to sure where in the world she ran off to. One day I just woke up and Iruka was there holding me. Mom was nowhere in sight." Naruto tried to scratch back the thick layers of dirt clogging his memories. The dirt wouldn't shift. And really, Naruto didn't want to remember. "Oh don't give me that look. Have you seen me complain _once _about not having my mom and dad?" Naruto snorted and pinched Sasuke on the cheek, "I'm not the type of person to bitch, whine, and mope about something that's already been done."

The raven smiled and leaned into the comforting touch of Naruto's fingers, "That's an admirable quality."

"I know," Naruto sat up a little straighter, "I've had quotes written about my strength."

"And your stupidity," Sasuke joked.

"That you find fucking adorable!"

"Can't deny that."

Witty banter always seemed to sew its way threw, to leave it sparkles, only to censor out the sharpness of the next few words to come.

"So about last night..." Sasuke started. His eyes instantly landed to his stomach. Guilt embedded itself into his veins when he saw Naruto flinch and go to cover his stomach. "Naruto... Naruto Uzumaki, look at me." his words were the string that brought Naruto's head to obey his command. "I need to know. For the sake of _us..._you need to tell me."

"_If he loves you, then he'll accept you."_

Iruka's words from last night rung loudly, heavily, _obnoxiously_, through the blond's ear. They made marks in all the right places and embedded themselves into Naruto's mind. _'I __knew __that __was __going __to __come __back __and __bite __me __in __the __ass.' _The past hour or so the two had spent sharing the miniscule and humongous scopes of their life, though there were some gray areas left uncolored but with time a paintbrush will come to finish up the work.

His heart no longer ached, surprisingly, at the aspect of sharing the black hole on his stomach. And with more courage he thought he had on the subject, Naruto reached for Sasuke's hand and grabbed onto the rose he received earlier in the other.

"Not here," Naruto breathed out. "Can we... go back to your place?"

Without any other words exchanged, Sasuke led the blond to his car and back to his house.

+I Promise: When I Say Something, I Mean It+

Standing in the bathroom, a dim light basking a dull glow over them both, Naruto stood in front of the mirror that both mocked him and supported him. Hesitation made his body spasm and break out into tremors. Sasuke was there, though, holding him from behind, giving off the heat and support he needed. It reassured his rapidly accelerating heart that jumping ship would not be an option.

"You're scared," Sasuke whispered into the back of Naruto's neck. His fingers were placed on top of Naruto's. They were holding onto the hem of Naruto's shirt.

"N-No," Naruto gulped. His eyes refused to look in the mirror, but at the same time... he wanted to face the fear and his past head on. "Of course not... why would I be scared?"

"You shouldn't be, because whatever you have to show you won't change how I feel."

The blond couldn't help it. He had to ask, "Promise?"

Sasuke chuckled despite the severity of the situation. "I gave you the rose, didn't I?"

The spoken rose was sitting on the bathroom sink—radiantly shining.

A spike of confidence exploded through out the blond's systems at those words; from the rose. With shaking hands and much needed guidance from the raven, Naruto lifted up his shirt excruciatingly slow until it reached his midsection.

He could feel Sasuke's heart nearly skip a beat from his back.

A black, never-ending swirl leading to his belly button was surrounded by bruised flesh.

_Defiled, marked, burned and bruised. _

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><p>As you can see from the example above (points up thur^) I have an unhealthy obession with Nutella c: Speaking of Nutella, National Nutella Day is on Feburary 5th, but my friends and I wanted it to happen sooner and longer and made it Nutella WEEK ;DDD. We're pretty pumped.<p>

ANYWHOOO. Thanks for reading. Save a baby panda. Eat some Nutella. Reblog on Tumblr. Read some Yaoi -babbles on because she is so tired-...

~Too tired to make something witty to end this A/N~


	14. Kisses with Closure

I suck at not finding time to reply to reviews v.v. Let's see... what else... OH YEAH! So I was watching Yu-Gi-Oh last saturday and I watched the original which ALWAYS sparks my interest in yamixyugi and then I watched Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal... I only like one character from that show and that's Astral o.o. HE'S LIKE, SARCASTIC AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT AND HE DOENS'T EVEN HAVE TO TRY XD. THAT'S JUST HIS CHARACTER! Also I watched Little Kuriboh's new movie and died from the hilariousness-ness-ness...

Sorry for the unrelated topic... I just felt like sharing that c:

**WARNING: Filler with a slit smutty-ish-ish scene in the beginning... this chapter was so random o.o but eh, we'll throw it in there because it'll lead off to the next chapter c:**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own nothing but my undies.**

Guys, seriously, thank you for all your support with reviews, faves, and alerts! You guys make me extremely happy c: So I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen: Kisses with Closure<strong>

_Defiled, marked, bruised and burned._

Sasuke's arms tightened around Naruto's waist. His eyes were glued to the full-length mirror before him. A bloody black swirl that seemed to consume Naruto's stomach; it was gruesome. He couldn't lie about that. Naruto's body shook—trembled—against his, and the impulse to protect his blond came back stronger than ever.

He whirled the boy around and kissed him—long and hard. It was searing and hot. It left Naruto's knees shaking, his heart racing, and his stomach hurtling. Their bodies were closer together, it seemed. Sasuke and Naruto's hearts were stitched a little closer even when their lips broke apart.

"Aren't you going to freak out or something?" Naruto's face was still a horrible mess of blushes as his heart rate tried to climb back down from the exhilarating kiss. It was like Sasuke had opened Naruto's mouth wide open only so he could receive the mountains of emotions that couldn't be put into words.

Smirking, the raven placed a softer kiss on Naruto's lips that weaved a path down to Naruto's collarbone. His hands traversed up the blond's shirt, feeling and massaging the marked skin with the upmost care. "I told you before, didn't I? Do I really have to repeat myself?"

Naruto pouted, "It would be nice, you know, for closure."

Sasuke shook his head in mock disbelief, "Naruto Uzumaki… you are truly something else. But it's because of that why I find it impossible to be without you—despite the insecurities."

'_Wow,__' _Naruto smiled goofily, he even chuckled. The space between them got a little lighter. His stomach unclenched and the burning slowly subsided. "Why are you so good to me?" he still couldn't believe how lucky he was. How life could throw him the most unexpected person he _ever_thought he'd end up with, and turn it so that Sasuke was everything he could want, and more.

Sasuke attached his lips back to Naruto's neck. He was addicted to the taste of his blond. "Because you deserve it."

And somehow, someway, those words were the keys that unlocked some locks and made Naruto feel like he could give Sasuke anything.

It all started with a kiss to the neck.

Then somehow Sasuke's lips ended up on Naruto's belly where he kissed, and touched, and loved the skin that Naruto always viewed as ugly, repulsive, a burn from his _past. _Tremors rocked his body as that skillful tongue mapped the way from his belly button up to a brown nub—and bit on that nub hard.

Naruto's jaw went slack. His eyes fluttered close. His heart nearly died. How they got to this moment in time, where Sasuke was literally ravishing his torso in the bathroom, Naruto couldn't figure it out. But was he really complaining about the turn of events…? Not really.

"W-What are you doing?" oh, Naruto knew of course, but his brain was having a hard time catching up to his mouth—it was currently panting and moaning like a dog, right now.

Sasuke smirked, and just because he could he bit down hard on Naruto's other nipple. The small scream he was able to rip out of his blond's mouth made his pants constrict even tighter. "I'm kissing you," he said plainly, though there was a devious spark in his eyes.

His kisses trailed fire all the way back to Naruto's stomach. He wanted to make Naruto feel… _beautiful_. It was the only word he could come up with at the moment that perfectly played to the tune of his feelings. Sasuke flicked his tongue in and out of Naruto's navel before carefully tracing the mark with his pink appendage. Naruto's body shivered and trembled and bit back all the moans that wanted to tear out his throat.

Naruto's mind was a puddle of mush by the time Sasuke's face met his clothed erection. A rabid blush completely consumed his face when Sasuke had the audacity to... to...

"D-Don't bite it!" Naruto nearly whined. Though his body was definitely screaming: "Bite it again—this time harder!"

That devious spark in the raven's eyes only grew brighter as the urge to have Naruto turn into jelly at his hands grew stronger and stronger. He bit at Naruto's clothed erection again, enjoying the moan that reverberated and bounced off the bathroom walls. By now, he was being purely driven by instinct. Instinct, lust, want... just to name a few ingredients currently being pumped in and out of Sasuke's blood stream, at the moment.

His teeth had already hooked into Naruto's zipper. The blond's heart shot up to his throat. _'Too__far,'_his hands came to rest on Sasuke's shoulders, ready to pull him off when the bathroom door opened and in walked Itachi looking very... bemused.

"Oops," he said with a smile on his face that proved he wasn't sorry one bit. Leaning against the door frame looking far more casual than any human being should after walking in on an... intimate moment, Itachi said, "Phone for you. It's Father."

_Father_. The word made Sasuke shoot up like a rocket and turned his body as rigid as ice. His eyes instantly steeled over. His fists clenched. And a nasty little snarl was painted on his cheeks. All because of the word _Father_.

"What does he want?" he sneered. "Don't tell me he wants to send me off again. It's not my turn this week."

"Surprisingly this isn't one of Father's schemes to ruin our lives any further. Ah," he held up his pointer finger, "hold on." he pressed the phone to his cheek, mocking whatever his father was yelling for at him in a way that left Sasuke's eyebrows cocked sky high and Naruto awkwardly laughing wondering when in the world he'll just disappear off the face of the earth. "No, Father, of course I don't think you're ruining our lives by shipping off to your companies to 'gain experience'. Why would you even guess that? What? You'd like me to stop yapping and hand over the phone?" Itachi grinned evilly. It left both Sasuke and Naruto's blood cold. "Sorry, Sasuke can't answer the phone right now. He's a little preoccupied with a nasty little zipper he can't get off—"

"Give me that!" Sasuke snapped, ripping the phone out of his brother's hand. He slammed his palm over the speaker. "You," he narrowed his eyes towards his brother, "go downstairs and actually act human. And Naruto," his eyes became warmer directed towards his blond, "you can go wait in my room. This won't take too long."

"Uhh... yeah, sure." Naruto was already busy fixing and adjusting himself so it looked like he _wasn't_just being ravished in the bathroom or anything... He gave Sasuke a fleeting look before walking out of the bathroom only to be stopped by Itachi. "Gah!" Naruto clutched his frantically beating heart, "Don't do that! My heart can't handle the surprise!"

"You and my otouto were about to do it, weren't you?" Oh, ho, ho Itachi looked so sure of himself at the moment...

And here comes the blushing cavalry to dominate Naruto's face again. "N-No! He was just... We were... _No_! Sasuke and I were doing _nothing_like that!"

Itachi gave Naruto a look that clearly screamed, 'You honestly think I'll believe such a stupid lie?' and shook his head in mock shame. "So you're assuming I should believe Sasuke was having a very special talk to your crotch?"

"It was feeling worthless and needed cheering up," Naruto deadpanned.

"With Sasuke's mouth," Itachi smirked.

And just like that, Naruto was the loser.

"Anyway," Itachi drawled, highly amused by how spastic Naruto could be—the blond was slamming his head against the wall, at the moment, and it was quite a sight to see—and gently ushered the blond to Sasuke's room. "Will you be staying for dinner tonight? The chef's making lobster."

"Lobster?" Naruto's eyes shot off like fireworks. All Itachi had to do was nod and Naruto's motor mouth was kicked into overdrive all the way up to Sasuke's room. By the time they had got there, Sasuke was sitting at his desk with a book in his hands and a not-so-happy look on his face.

"Rough call?" though Itachi already knew the answer to that one.

"Hn," Sasuke sighed and rubbed his aching temples. "Father's coming home for dinner..."

"When?"

"Tonight," there was acid on that word, so much so Naruto felt like his ears were going to fall off just from hearing it.

Itachi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before dulling down again. "Huh. That's quicker than last time he decided to pop in. He must think someone's trying to take down his main branch again."

"Wouldn't surprise me..." Sasuke scoffed, but Naruto knew to look behind the front and dig a little deeper for the hidden truth just beneath the surface. Then he smiled.

_'He's __becoming __easier __to __figure __out,' _it was a pretty cool revelation, to be honest.

"You Uchihas are all the same," Naruto sighed in fake frustration and stood against the wall. "You act one way when you're really feeling something else instead. I don't see why you're not honest with yourselves."

"What are you talking about?" Itachi asked, offended.

"We've never been dishonest," Sasuke added in.

Naruto couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes, "Yeah. Sure. Says the guy who sent me roses and promises for a month _leading_me to believe it was from Sakura and not _you_."

"Dobe," Sasuke glared, "_you_were the one who got the ridiculous notion that it was Haruno sending you those flowers. I never put that into your head."

The blond sputtered, scrambling to catch onto his words. He knew Sasuke was right, he just didn't want to acknowledge it. "_Still_if you would have been truthful and _honest _in the beginning, our relationship could have come across much faster!"

The Uchiha brothers both exchanged knowing glances that only siblings could share.

"_He's __an __idiot,__" _older eyes shared.

"_I __know,__" _younger eyes admitted reluctantly.

+I Promise+

Somehow, Naruto was convinced, weaseled in, and then bribed to stay for dinner that night despite his best intentions to _not _stay.

"But you guys need the chance to reconnect!" Naruto defended.

Sasuke would have none of that and kept his position on top of Naruto firmly in place. "Bull crap. My father doesn't even know the definition of 'family'. Besides, he needs to know sooner, not later, that we're together."

Naruto shook his head wildly, "No way, Uchiha! I'm not sparking up conflict between your dad, the richest man in like... the _world_just because you have to be childish!"

Itachi was casually flipping through a book, choosing to dress in a nice pair of jeans and a black shirt since this _was_their father they'd be having dinner with shortly. He peered over the rim with bored but calculating black eyes. "Suigetsu has brought to my attention that your endurance is still lacking during practice. I _was_thinking of giving you easy bits of training to slowly work up your endurance but I've just read of a great and extremely rigorous way to build up your stamina in a matter of days." an evil spark danced in those onyx pools of his, "What do you think of that, hm?"

"I think I'd love to join you for dinner," Naruto answered quickly. And that's how he found himself sitting beside Sasuke... at the dinner table... with Sasuke's father... at the dinner table... and Sasuke's mother... at the dinner table... Oh yeah, Itachi was there too... at the dinner table.

_'Fuck __me, __fuck __me, __fuck __me, __fuck __my __life!' _Naruto looked back and forth for an exit to the "bathroom". Sad thing was... he didn't remember _where_to get to the bathroom. The Uchiha house was pretty massive. He awkwardly pushed his food back and forth, back and forth, around his plate—refusing to make eye contact with any of the Uchihas. Though Sasuke was making that rather difficult seeing as every five minutes a hand would somehow manage to wiggle onto Naruto's knee... or lap... or crotch.

"Sasuke!" Naruto hissed, barely glancing at the nonchalant-looking raven beside him who had the damn _nerve _to act like it was _Naruto _bothering _him_.

"Yes?" oh how Naruto wanted to just rip that "innocent" looking grin off the raven's face and stomp on it until it meshed with the carpet...

"I hate you."

"Sure you do."

Even though there was some awkward banter going on between the two... Naruto realized something very profound: _'Their __dinners __are __so...__awkward.' _Aside from the random updates on business and the customary questions parents ask their kids, their dinners were pretty quiet. Unlike the dinners Naruto was used to at home where he had to watch Kakashi shove his tongue down Iruka's mouth, or when Kiba and Gaara would randomly pop in because they were "orphans in need of some good food and a warm home".

_'Wow.. this is kind of... sad.' _

And if the awkward silence didn't make things worse, then it was the fact that Sasuke's father hadn't stopped looking at him the whole time since dinner started.

"Sasuke," Fugaku finally said, daintily dabbing the sides of his mouth with his napkin. "When are you going to introduce me to your... friend over there."

The raven looked like he was trying very hard to hold back a snide remark. Pride was always a tough emotion to battle against. "Father, Naruto. Naruto, Father." he was such a pro at introductions, too.

"Uh... N-Nice to meet you," Naruto bowed his head slightly. The supreme aura that Sasuke's father was radiating off like body odor scared the living rainbow colors out of him.

"Classmate?"

"You could say that," Naruto was having a pretty hard time making eye contact with daggers...

Fugaku raised a cool eyebrow, "What exactly could you be insinuating by that?"

Itachi took a _looong _sip of his water.

"Dear, don't bother your son's guest. It's rude." Mikoto gingerly tore into her lobster as if she wasn't about to devour the crustacean as we speak.

"I have the right to ask him a question, do I not?" Fugaku challenged. Mikoto only had to open one eye to have her husband step back—slightly. Naruto had to smirk at that.

_'So __whipped,' _then his smirk disappeared when Fugaku's eyes landed on him again. _'So __screwed.'_

He could see the words formulating and culminating in Fugaku's mouth, just waiting to be fired when Sasuke's hand interlocked with his—fingers trapped tight and bounded together. He had half a mind to snap at Sasuke for being so rash in front of his parents, and the other half to whip out his phone and take a picture of Fugaku's face right now... it was pretty hilarious.

Dumbfounded and utterly shocked—a great combination.

"Father, Naruto's not just any classmate..." the blond could have sworn Sasuke was milking up every moment he saw a slight crack in his father's face. "We're dating. Boyfriend and boyfriend, and I thought I'd like to share that with you."

It was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop next door.

Itachi was looking as calm as ever, making various points of eye contact while sipping his drink. Naruto was pretty sure half of himself was just killed by Sasuke's abrupt bluntness (that he strangely found cute in a weird way...). Mikoto had stopped eating to give her son a very hard look. And Fugaku...? Well...

"Son," he started off sternly.

"Father," Sasuke shot back.

"You never told me you were gay."

"You never asked."

"It would be beneficial if you stayed home more, Father." Itachi added in, still sipping his drink like the calm little master he was...

Heavy silence again, and Naruto thought this time Sasuke's father would have gone up, walked over to Sasuke, and slapped him. Instead, he sunk back in his seat and looked like all the age stored up inside was pouring out through cracks and veins, ruptures and holes...

"Where did I go wrong in raising you...?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders carelessly, "Well rarely coming home and shipping us off to work on parts of your business _could _be the cause..."

"Sasuke," Itachi gave his brother a look that clearly told him to calm himself before things exploded out of hand.

Ha, too late.

Naruto was sitting through this all wondering when in the world the big boom would come. He was expecting Sasuke's father to flip out, throw the table, kick some chairs, throw a few curse words, make up a new word that could be called gibberish—_something _that was normal for this situation. None of that came. Instead, Fugaku calmly excused himself from the table and ascended up the stairs to his room.

_'Okay... __I __didn't __really __expect __that,' _his eyes landed on Sasuke's mother who was strangely quiet through out the whole ordeal. Their eyes locked, and for a moment Naruto thought he was going to be fried by laser beams. He got nothing, to be honest. Mikoto simply went back to her dinner and that was that.

Naruto shook his head, hoping his heart wouldn't give out on him just for spite. "You're family is so fucked up, Teme..." Naruto whispered.

"Really? I thought all families interacted this way?" the blond didn't know whether to kick Sasuke in the shin for being sarcastic or look at him in... pity—confused as all get out, pity.

The blond shook his head and bit into his lobster. "You know what... this lobster is pretty good." he was feeling a little devious so he took the chance to strike up conversation with Mikoto again, "Give my compliments to the chef, okay?"

There was a brief pause of silence... and then, "I'll make sure to do that."

+I Promise: Uchihas Are So Unpredictable+

"You know something, Teme? Tonight wasn't so bad after all." the two boys were standing in the entryway, bodies tangled up in an embrace as Sasuke leaned in to kiss Naruto again. He really couldn't stop—kissing Naruto, that is. After the arupt coming out to his father he felt like he could do _anything_. It felt pretty great.

"Oh yeah, surprise visits from my father and awkward family dinners are always a treat."

"They are!" Naruto grinned back. The two were just about to head outside when Mikoto stopped them and motioned Naruto to come forward.

"Sasuke..." she stared, "how is he?"

Naruto opened his mouth. Snapped it shut. Then opened it up again. "Eh, he can be a pain in my ass sometimes but... I don't know what I'd do without him. His kind moments are really fun to look forward too, you know?"

That answered seemed to please her, seeing as it was able to bubble up a laugh from the seemingly stoic mother. "Well I'm glad he's finally found someone. I always knew he never had an interest in women..." she shook her head in disbelief, "Really, that boy thinks I know nothing about his life when I'm practically living right under his nose."

"He doesn't see it that way... just saying," Naruto quickly added.

Mikoto sighed, this time some wrinkles came to her eyes... "I know. If I could change things, I would in a heartbeat."

"It's not too late. You could always start over."

"No..." she shook her head, a sad smile on her lips, "I don't think that's possible anymore."

Naruto smiled brightly—for her. "Ma'm, don't give up hope yet. Sasuke can be a prick, and an asshole, and a bastard sometimes but I know him. He wants his family."

This time, a genuinely small smile came to Mikoto's lips. "Thank you, Naruto. Feel free to come back here anytime. I'm sorry my husband can be a little... difficult. Uchiha's are rarely anything but easy to handle."

Naruto scoffed, "Tell me about it. But thank you."

+I Promise: One Last Thing+

"So," Sasuke started as Naruto slid into his car, "what did my mother want to talk about?"

"Oh nothing too serious," Naruto assured him, slipping on his seatbelt. "She just gave me permission to run off and marry you anytime I wanted. I told her I wanted us to go to Vegas so she gave us her life savings."

"Please tell me she bought us tickets for a trip to California, too." Sasuke joked back.

"Boy, I couldn't walk out there without tickets for Cali!" the two boys looked at eachother, smiled, and then broke out into peels of laughter that floated around and around in the cold, frigid air.

Sasuke finally settled down and turned on the ignition, "Now what did she _really _tell you."

"That's what she told me, Teme."

"Naruto."

"Sasuke."

"I'm serious."

"I'm serious too," Naruto shot back. "Your mother really accepted us. I think she likes me... Also, I think your dad's gonna warm up to us too."

"Now you're just being stupid," Sasuke said as he started the long, but pleasurable drive back to Naruto's apartment.

"No, I'm being optimistic. There's a difference," Naruto corrected. "Why should I automatically make the situation negative when it could have any number of possible endings?"

Sasuke smiled softly, "I don't know where you got that outlook of life on, but I can't say I'm complaining."

"Practice, Teme. Lots of practice..."

Hopefully that practice comes in handy later on.

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><p>Haaa. Epic foreshadowing ftw. So I was abusing the replay button my playlist on Youtube for the song The Invisible Wall by the Gazette and I suggest you all listen to it c: Ruki is just so... amazing and down right sexy in that video! And the music that goes along with it... well worth the listen (:<p>

Sorry this chapter was slow and filler-ish, next chapter shall move the plot right along! I promise you. So yeah, baby pandas like to be saved and all that jazz. Fishies are cute. I'm so tired I'm babbling. And I still have pen on my hand from Creative Writing today... Hahahaha. So pro.


	15. Crimson Dreams The Eleventh Promise

Welp, we've broken the 300 review barrier c: Special thanks to **Bishie Hunter! **You were my 300th reviewer c: And also many, many thanks to everyone who has reviewed, READ, faved, and added this to their alerts (: I've never gotten so much feedback from a story before so.. it means a lot. Haha :D

**Warning: I just can't make things simple, now can I?**

**Disclaimer: It kills me just typing this... GAAAAAAAAAAH -half dies-**

Enjoy my lovelies c:!

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: The Eleventh Promise<strong>

**+I Promised I'd Protect You, and I Will+**

**Crimson Dreams**

_Sometimes, the ghosts of our pasts just don't know when to let go..._

Tonight, Naruto's dark subconscious was out for the kill. It was a terrifying force holding on to its sole intention to tear the blond down both mentally and physically.

The dream started off nicely—a warning that the ending would be a gruesome one from the beginning.

It was just Naruto and Sasuke in the world of bright green fields, eternally blue skies, and an endless yellow sun. Their naked bodies clung together like magnets. Sweat clung to their skin. Ragged pants rose up into the air in the form of ghostly smoke. Naruto could feel everything that was Sasuke, and in return the raven could feel everything that was his blond. Their bodies were connected so deeply that the two had become synchronized.

A perfect unity under the sky.

Naruto clawed at the raven's back, rising up on tired haunches to whisper into the raven's ear.

"Love you..." it was sweet. The words caressed the raven's ear and jump started shivers all across his body.

Sasuke leaned forward so their lips were a mere inch away. A small smirk curled on his lips, and a dark chuckled floated all around.

"Dumbass. What ever made you think that I'd love someone. Like. _You_?"

And then the whole world fell from around them. Naruto was sucked into the hideous darkness, skeletal hands and ogre claws clawing at him, scratching at him... tearing _into _him. His screams were swallowed up by the laughter. The laughter that was mocking him. The laughter that was coming from Sasuke...

When the seemingly endless falling finally stopped, Naruto was strapped to a table. He couldn't see anything around him, but he could hear and feel everything. There was someone looming over him and as the vision came into focus he no longer saw midnight locks or entrancing onyx eyes. He saw blood red...

Blood red hair that traveled and waved down to the man's waist. Blood red eyes that showed the world just how cruel this human being—who really couldn't be called human—could be. His smile was sinister. The man's entire being just screamed horror...

Naruto's heart painfully constricted until the blond couldn't even breathe. He was sure tears were haphazardly falling from his eyes. Struggling and struggling against whatever invisible binds were holding him down, the resistance was futile.

They were face-to-face now. Crimson clashed violently with scared blue eyes. The voice that traveled down his ear left a path of ice in its wake.

"Thought you could forget about me, huh?" the man chuckled. The laughter was drenched with acid. "Hm, I suppose a game of Punishment would do good..." he opened his mouth wide to show of a proud set of _sharpened _razor teeth. Naruto's whole body was shaking with earthquake after earthquake of paranoia, down right _fear_. He screamed. Screamed for the man of his nightmares to go away. Screamed for Sasuke to come save him. Screamed for the horrible dream to end. But it didn't end. Not yet anyways. It didn't end until the man had ripped off Naruto's ear with his mouth.

Blood dripped everywhere. Naruto had screamed so much that his voice turned raw. Blue eyes were widened with frozen shock.

"You never could take pain, you whiny little bitch. Don't think I'm done with you yet..."

Thank God Naruto woke up at that moment, though there were tears in his eyes and his heart had flown out of his throat.

First impulse: Call Sasuke.

"_If you're listening to this then I missed your call. Sorry, I guess. Leave a message after the beep."_

_'Every__time __I __listen __to __that __I__want __to __hurt __him...__badly.' _Naruto sighed and waited a beat for the beep to come before he relayed his message. "I need you; badly. Call me back, okay?" he stared at his phone, watching the seconds pass by indicating how long the conversation has been going on for. He felt like he needed to say something—say three words to be exact. And he really wanted to, but he didn't want to say them _first_. Pride worked in strange ways. With another sigh he tapped the red END button and set his phone on his stomach.

His heart was still hammering loudly against his ribcage. Images still swam through his mind as he stared at the ceiling before him. His body shook—fingers trembling and tremors dancing along his spine. Naruto rubbed at his face, counted to ten, and willed the dark thoughts to just disappear...

"I'm stronger than this," Naruto whispered into the shadows around him. "He's gone. My past is buried. He can't affect me anymore..." he gulped, "I've moved on."

Try as he may that night, Naruto just couldn't go to sleep. So he stared at his cell phone all night, waiting and praying that Sasuke would call him back. He was up all night. And not once did he get a call back.

+I Promise: The Next Morning+

Every step Naruto took down the stairs felt like someone had slipped two tons of lead into his shoes. It was a miracle at all that he was able to make it down at all without tripping and injuring himself. When he finally reached his destination—the beautiful oasis called the dinner table—Naruto flopped down and slammed his face against the table.

"Well then..." Iruka looked over his shoulder with a teasing smirk, "Good morning to you too."

"Mwronin'." Naruto was having a lovely conversation with the table top right now...

"English, Naruto. Do you speak it?" Iruka was all jokes today as he sat down across his ward, setting two steaming plates of eggs and bacon on the table, until he saw Naruto's eyes. Rimmed with red and swollen. His happy demeanor melted instantly. "Naruto..." he leaned forward and cupped Naruto's face, gently rubbing the scarred cheeks, "did something happen? Bad dream?"

Naruto nodded slowly... "The dream," his voice was hoarse from all the sobbing.

Iruka dropped everything then. He pulled Naruto into the living room and sat him down on the couch. They sat across from each other, Indian style, with their hands linked so Iruka could see every expression on Naruto's face. "Tell me everything from beginning to end. And don't you dare leave one little detail out, okay?"

Everything seemed to pour out of Naruto by then. The painful images, the calloused words, the heat and the blood and the torment—he spilled them out in words that left his voice small, shaken, and raw. Even though it was highly embarrassing, he even added in the bits about him and Sasuke being in the field... naked... exposed. Iruka sat there and took it all. His eyes grew a little moister and warmer. His face grew a little longer. And every time he sighed, Naruto could see a bit of life escape with the puffs.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Iruka finally said after the gap of silence became too long to bear. "Why didn't you wake me up immediately? Your eyes are bloodshot."

"I wasn't up that long..." that was a lie. He'd been awake since two o'clock. Now it was eight o'clock on a Wednesday morning. "Besides... I didn't want to bother you."

"Didn't want to _bother _me? Naruto, that's ridiculous! You know you can come to me for anything—especially something so severe as this!" Iruka frowned, "I'm hurt knowing that you wouldn't come to me."

Naruto, regretfully, made connection with Iruka's eyes. He saw all the hurt and worry shining brightly in those orbs. It made pity claw at his chest and tighten his heart. "I'm sorry," he mumbled with a sigh. "I thought I could handle it by myself... and then I called Sasuke because that was the first person who came to my mind."

"Did he answer?"

"... No."

The answer made a heavy dent in the morbid air.

"Look," Iruka gathered up some courage and rolled his shoulders back. He needed to be strong now. _'Because __Naruto's __breaking.' _it was in small chunks, but Iruka could see it in the way Naruto sat slumped and dejected. The dream had taken a lot out of him. "He'll call you back. But right now I want you to go upstairs and get some sleep. You've had a long night."

"But what about school?" Naruto had to ask, though the thought of skipping school to sleep was too nice to pass up.

Iruka scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I know very well you don't really mind missing school. I'll wake you up so you can go in for your third period class. I'll even call Gaara and Kiba for you. Now get upstairs and sleep! That's an order."

Really, who was Naruto to argue against the commands of his guardian? He bounded up the stairs two at a time and disappeared into his room without a sound. After Naruto was gone, Iruka threw his face into the palms of his hands and exhaled a heavy breath.

"I really hope the sickness in the pit of my stomach is just indigestion... and not some sign of tough times to come."

+I Promise+

"Just three more hours..." Sasuke looked out the window watching the humongous land of clouds float by. He was getting impatient, nervousness gripping at his insides and twisting his stomach into knots. Something was off, he just couldn't pin-point what it was though. _'I __wonder __how __Naruto __is.' _he glanced to the side where his father was sitting calmly, clicking away at his laptop as if he didn't just randomly kidnap his youngest son for a "business trip".

"I see you staring, Sasuke."

"Good. Do you feel my hatred?"

His father frowned slightly and lowered his laptop screen halfway. "I'm doing this for _your_benefit. I have never seen such an ungrateful child in my lifetime."

Sasuke held back the urge to his maim his father. _'He's __old. __He'll __die __in __a __few __years. __And __then __I __can __stomp __on __his __grave.' _"Has the business world taught you to lie with such a poker face, Father? We both know very well that the reason for this trip wasn't for my own 'benefit'." he really wasn't in a good mood if you hadn't noticed. More times than Sasuke could count, the thought of his blond came and went and stayed and engraved in his mind numerous times on this trip. And each time the feeling came with a joyous spark that died down and became drenched with horrible foreboding...

_'I __would __feel __so __much __calmer __if __Father __hadn't __taken __my __cell.' _He could see it poking out casually in his father's pocket, and he had every intention to just leap out and grab it. His father was a tricky one, though. And wouldn't give it up without a long, tedious fight.

"Everything I do is to help you and Itachi out in the long run." he raised up his laptop screen and returned back to his work.

Sasuke scoffed, "More like for our destruction..." he muttered under his breath. "Once we get home I'm eloping with Naruto and leaving."

"You shouldn't make jokes, Sasuke. You're not very funny."

The raven rested his head against the window. _'Just __a __few __more __hours __in __Hell... __just __a __few __more __hours.'_

+I Promise: It's Haunting+

"Will you be okay?"

"Don't worry, Iruka." Naruto managed to paste on a smile as he exited the car, "I'm a trooper. Besides, the dream doesn't bother me anymore. See?" he jumped around a few times. Shook out his limbs. Did a couple of stretches to extend his aching limbs and then flashed Iruka a bright smile. "I'm not shaking anymore and that nap was really refreshing! I feel like a new man."

The brunet looked rather skeptical. Iruka stared his ward down, searching for any fraying strands of sanity and foundation slipping. He found nothing—and that scared him. Naruto wouldn't say anything, though. He'd deny it all because he just wasn't the type of person to rely on others so easily... Iruka bit back a sigh and slipped on a small smile instead.

"Call me if anything happens, okay?"

"You got it!" Naruto promised. He kept on waving until he saw Iruka's car disappear out of sight. It was then when his mask slipped a little. He really wasn't in the mood for school, but Gaara and Kiba had flooded his inbox with threats that if he didn't come to school they would deny knowing him for the next month. If that wasn't true love and friendship, Naruto didn't know what was.

His stomach was still twisting into knots as he entered the school, taking the memorized path up to his locker. When he opened his locker a flowery mess of red was perched on top of his books, along with a note scribbled in the handwriting Naruto knew by heart.

_I missed you. _

Naruto's heart did a little twirl reading over the note. _'Why __is __he __so __damn __cute..? __No! __I'm __mad __at __him! __I __can't __be __swayed __by __his __pretty __flowers __and __his __cute __notes...' _he had decided to ignore the raven all day today since he ignored his call. Yes, he knew he was being childish. No, he didn't care at the moment.

A pair of arms that had become so familiar to him in the past months snaked around his waist, pulling him flush against the body he knew and loved. And somehow... any intentions of ignoring Sasuke slipped down the drain.

Granted Naruto was still a little pissed but eh... what can you do?

"You're here late today," Sasuke muttered. He spun Naruto around so he could get a kiss but his lips met with a rose instead. A small frown scarred his lips. "So I don't even get a kiss? You know I had a long week."

"Well isn't that a shame," why yes, Naruto did enjoy being a cheeky bastard. How did you know?

His frown grew a little deeper, "Hey, I didn't mean to leave without any notice. After you left my dad randomly sprung some business trip and thought it would be the best thing if I came along with him." Sasuke shook his head at all the ludicrous things his father had put him through the passed three days. "He even tried to introduce me to the most ridiculous girls imaginable while we were there. I swear that man's in denial."

Once again, Sasuke had some strange way of making Naruto lose the fact that he was supposed to be mad at him and not laughing at his father's crazy antics. "Aww, poor you." Naruto pouted playfully. "You better have stayed faithful, Uchiha, or I'll shove this rose so far up it'll come out your nose. Oh! I just rhymed!"

"Naruto, that's not even possible." Sasuke smiled softly, "And the threat isn't that intimidating when it rhymes." he tried for another kiss and once again he was deflected. _'What__the__heck?'_"Naruto, let me kiss you."

"No," Naruto shot back.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm mad at you."

"Oh... wait... why?"

Naruto huffed and folded his arms across his chest, "I don't have to explain myself to you, Teme."

Sasuke sighed. He felt the tell-tale sign of a headache ready to attack him and it was not pretty. "What in the world did I do to you, Naruto? I already told you I didn't hook up with any of those ridiculous girls my father tried to group me with."

"I could care less about them. You... you never answered your phone." he mumbled the last part quietly, mostly because he felt really, really little.

A little light dawned in the raven's eyes. _'Sometimes...' _Sasuke had begun to pick up the little changes in Naruto's demeanor whenever something was _truly _bothering him. Like the way his blue eyes looked slightly paler and darker, or how his smile would strain a little at the corners making his whiskers droop a little. Something was bothering his blond, and Sasuke was going to find out what it was even if it killed him.

"Sorry, my dad was in complete possession of my phone. If I even tried to make a move at it he'd wipe out its memory card and dump it into the ocean." he wasn't bluffing. His father was a seriously scary man when threatened. Sasuke held Naruto a little tighter. "The whole flight back I had this sick feeling in my stomach and you came up in my mind so many times... Did something happen?"

"Uhhh... describe 'something'."

"Naruto! Don't be so damn difficult. You had something to tell me, so tell me. Hiding it from me won't get anything fixed."

"Fine! Alright! But not here." Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the arm and pulled him down towards the library. It seemed like Naruto was going to miss third period after all. Surprisingly enough, he was good friends with the librarian from so many afternoon detentions so he was able to slip in without any questions asked. He pulled Sasuke towards the more isolated part of the library (the encyclopedia section) and plopped down on the ground, tugging Sasuke around with him.

The raven looked all around. Books engulfed them. Mighty, towering shelves gave off the allusion of complete privacy and secrecy. "Out of all the places you could have taken me... it had to be a library."

Naruto shrugged and leaned back against a bookcase, "Hey. I like this place. It's quiet and no one bothers you here." the perfect place to unveil a deep secret and a painful dream...

"So... tell me," Sasuke pushed gently, though his curiosity was making him highly impatient.

Naruto sighed and stared at the blue carpet, twiddling his thumbs. "Well... I had this dream, right? It started off really nice. You and I were in this field sort of... kind of..."

"Spit it out..."

A horribly adorable blush scarred Naruto's cheeks. "We were in our birthday suits, okay?"

"I'm not seeing what's so bad about this dream," Sasuke smirked and dragged his finger down Naruto's shirt towards the blond's zipper. His finger was effectively slapped off.

"I'm getting to it! Okay, so we were basking in the afterglow and that's when things started going... scary. I... I saw this guy. A guy I thought I had forgotten already. He said some things and then bit off my ear... afterward I woke up nearly dead. I called you but you didn't answer so I just stared at my ceiling waiting for sleep to take over." Naruto smiled wryly, "I didn't get any sleep back."

Sasuke was taking the words thrown at him and digesting them, breaking them up bit by bit. He knew he was getting the condensed story of Naruto's dream, but from this amount of information he was able to pick up some key details. "This guy... who is he to you?"

"He's the one who gave me this tattoo," Naruto lifted his shirt up slightly. His skin still tingled and burned and lurched.

"Old lover?" his eyes narrowed towards the mark. The fact that someone before him had the audacity to mark up his blond in such a possessive and cruel way made his insides burn and furious jealousy pump through his veins.

Naruto shook his head slowly. Sasuke had inched closer and closer to him until they were sitting side by side against the bookcase with their hands clasped and fingers intertwined. "Not mine, my mother's. My mom always dated the psychotic ones. His name was Kyuubi. He was a part of some gang or something and my mom always had to date the 'wild spirits and bad boys'." he rolled his eyes at his mother's insanity. She was really one of a kind that Naruto had to put up with for years.

"Did he ever touch you?" Sasuke's free hand was comfortably placed on Naruto's stomach, touching and caressing the skin beneath the fabric.

The few seconds of silence spoke many volumes. Sasuke gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on Naruto's hand. "If I ever find that man... I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him."

"Wow... that's pretty intense," though Naruto couldn't deny the fact that his heart did skip a beat or two. "But you don't have to. He didn't go far as actual rape. All he did was like... grope me and shit. Oh, and the tattoo also..." he added in nonchalantly. Pretending like this was just another day, another explanation, another jump made things a lot easier to handle and digest.

Sasuke brought the blond into his arms in one, clean swoop. He buried his face into the crook of Naruto's neck and kissed the skin below. "Why are do you sound so unperturbed about this? Wouldn't the normal reaction to this be a little more... I don't know—unstable?"

Naruto shrugged against the warmth his body had started to unconsciously yearn for and wrapped his arms loosely around Sasuke's waist. "Dunno. I guess my earlier freak out this morning kind of blew the rest of the shock out of my system. Can't say I'm complaining though." he knew Sasuke wasn't buying it. He could tell without even having to look at him. And in all honesty... Naruto wasn't buying it either, but someone had to stay firm right? Naruto grabbed Sasuke by his cheeks and forced their eyes to connect. "Listen, I'm fine okay? Kyuubi's never coming back because of some rival gang shit and he would be stupid if he came back here. So I'll be fine. Now smiiile," he pulled at Sasuke's lips to form an awkward smile and laughed when the raven's cheeks turned pale pink.

The raven slapped Naruto away but still kept him close. He didn't want to break the separation at all. _'I'll__ believe __him, __for __now. __But __I __still __have __my __suspicions.' _Besides, arguing with Naruto was rather tiresome because the blond would keep the argument going even when he knew he was flat out wrong. For a brief second Sasuke's eyes landed on Naruto's stomach. He inwardly grimaced, but kept it all bottled up inside...

Naruto said things were going to be okay, so things would be okay.

"I still feel uneasy," Sasuke announced.

Naruto was caught up in playing with Sasuke's locks, "I know. But you shouldn't be. I haven't seen him for a year and a half now. Don't you think he would have come back by now if he really wanted me?"

"You can never know, Naruto. What if he _does _come back and tries to hurt you again? I won't let him take you away from me."

To say Naruto's heart didn't constrict a little, or that his mind wasn't racing with endless possibilities would be a lie. Naruto was just rather good at hiding his apprehension... or so he thought. "Well, if that does happen... you'll be there to protect me, right?" he added with a cheeky grin.

Sasuke scoffed, "Do you even have to ask?"

"I thought it would be the polite thing to do."

Rolling his eyes, though Sasuke couldn't say he hated Naruto's cute stupidity, the raven leaned in for a passionate kiss that sealed the deal. "I _promise _to protect you. There. Happy now?"

"Mhm!" Naruto's eyes sparkled like sunlight reflecting off a crystal lake. "Now I'm just waiting for you to pull a rose out of nowhere like a magician."

_'Why __do __I __feel __like __he's __mocking __me?' _Shaking that thought out of his mind, Sasuke pointed towards the forgotten rose sitting proudly on a stack of their books. "You already got your rose, Dobe."

"Yeah, but that was because you missed me! Don't be a prick and hold out on me, Teme."

"You get what you get, baka." Sasuke smirked, enjoying they way Naruto puffed out his cheeks when he was fuming. It was extremely adorable. "I guess we should start heading back to class then."

This time it was Naruto's turn to scoff. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and started to play with the back of his hair. "It's not like we'd be going back to much. We blew off more than half of third period. Also..." Naruto leaned in so that their lips were merely teasing one another now, "I really, _really_ want to kiss you again."

Sometimes Naruto could say just the right words that got Sasuke's heart beating ten times faster than normal—or considered healthy. His hands slithered all the way to Naruto's ass and groped him, pulling their bodies flush together. Their lips met in a frenzy. Tongues touched and moans were swallowed by the passion. They didn't care if they were caught. They didn't care if they got in trouble. Everything washed away in a bleeding mess of hot emotions.

All that mattered, was the beating heart hammering against their ribcage. The hearts that were trying desperately to break free and connect. Nothing else was a problem. No problems from the past, or insecurities. All that mattered was the here and the now.

But the past doesn't like to back down without one serious fight.

+I Promise: Red and Dangerous+

"Oi, Blondie! Mind taking the bag of balls back to the equipment room?" Suigetsu asked. Soccer practice again was no walk in the park and Naruto wondered how in the world he was able to get back home without collapsing all the time.

"Yeah, sure! I'll just crawl there with my broken legs! No big deal." Naruto hollered back.

Suigetsu smiled widely, "Thanks a bunch, bro! Catch ya later!"

Obviously Suigetsu wasn't big on catching onto sarcasm. That or... he really didn't care. Kiba had left early along with Gaara because they had a group project to work on, but it wasn't like Naruto didn't have another ride home. Though Sasuke would be late because their was a meeting he had to attend with his Chemistry teacher before leaving, so Naruto was pretty much by himself tugging up the ball bags back into the equipment room.

"And... there! Phew, I'm finally done!" Naruto wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, feeling mighty accomplished with himself. Carrying all those bags was a lot of work. Closing the door behind him, Naruto started the long trudge back to the soccer field to get his back and wait for Sasuke at the main gate.

When he crossed over the hill he spotted a familiar shade of red leaning against the goal post. A line of smoke was clawing up, and up, and up into the autumn sky. Naruto nearly lost his footing and fell forward. He knew that red. He could pick it out anywhere.

"No..." he willed his feet to turn around and move. Run. Run as far away as humanly possible. He was too slow, though. Red eyes landed right on him. Fire erupted in those eyes—the same fire that always had Naruto trapped. His arms immediately fell to his stomach. _'Move! __Fucking __move!'_

It was like his feet were covered in spikes of ice, refusing to move.

The distance between them grew smaller and smaller until the red-haired giant was towering above him. Naruto felt incredibly tiny and helpless at this point.

"Ay there. Yer looking pretty sick." he smirked and blew a puff of smoke right into Naruto's face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say yer _scared _of me."

Blue eyes screamed in heavy volumes. Naruto worked his mouth, trying to string together words and syllables and phrases but nothing would come out. The redhead chuckled and took one step closer.

"Shocked, eh? Well I can't blame you. Took me a while to find you."

"H-How...?"

He smirked, "Don't yah ever doubt the power of a gang member, Kit."

Something snapped inside of Naruto after hearing that word—the pet name. The word he used to love being called as when it wasn't tied to anything sexual or emotionally scarring. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his hands balled into fists. "You... Why the fuck are you back, huh? It couldn't possibly be because of Mom! She ditched your sorry ass and told you to never come back!"

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes in boredom and took another drag of his cigarette. "Do yah honestly think I would risk my ass coming back for that bitch?" he scoffed and blew yet another cloud into Naruto's face, just to bring the kid down a couple of steps. "All she was to me was a good lay... a _really _good lay. I never wanted her like I wanted _you_." he purred dangerously low in the blond's ears.

That's when he noticed they were a lot closer than his mind or heart could physically handle. Naruto attempted to push the bigger man back, but Kyuubi was a lot stronger and sturdier than he could handle.

"You're sick!"

"Nah, Kit. I've just come back to claim what is rightfully mind." quicker than lightning Kyuubi had lifted up Naruto's shirt and was staring admirably at his handy work. "What a beaut it is. So clean and nice. It makes yer stomach look so sexy."

Naruto was frozen. His stomach was exposed to man who scarred him in more ways than one. The same man who touched him and lied to him and made him feel tainted to the world. His body trembled. The cold wind whistled and teased his naked stomach.

_'Sasuke,' _his mind cried. Naruto took a huge gulp. "I... I'm not yours, Kyuubi!" he somehow managed to find the strength to pull himself out of Kyuubi's grip. "And I never was or will be! Got that?"

There was a dangerous spark in Kyuubi's eyes. He folded his arms across his chest and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Yah really have no idea who yer talkin to, do yah? Well let me remind yah then..." he snuffed out his cigarette and then dropped it to the ground. Grabbing Naruto by the collar, he slammed their lips together in a rough kiss. Naruto's mouth was open by surprise, so Kyuubi took that as means to slip his tongue in from some fun.

_'His...__his __tongue! __Gross!' _he chomped down on the offending appendage, feeling the disgusting taste of metallic blood fill his mouth. It got Kyuubi to stop kissing him, though.

Kyuubi looked rather amused than offended. He licked his lips seductively, loving the taste of his own blood mixed with Naruto's spit. "I really did miss that spunky attitude. It's _such _a turn on."

"Get out of here!" Naruto hissed. His heart was protesting loudly and images from the past flashed through his mind like a blurring subway train.

"Kit, I don't think yer getting my message so let me spell it out for yah loud and clear." he pointed towards Naruto's stomach, "That... means I own yah. Yer mine, Kit. No one else can take a step in _my _property. And this," he fished into his back pocket and pulled out a bundle of red that Naruto recognized instantly.

The rose.

Naruto made a grab for it but failed. His anger and anxiety was steadily rising to dangerous peaks. "Where did you get that?" he managed to spit out.

"Oh this?" Kyuubi twirled the rose around his thumb and index finger, "Found it on top your duffle bag. I wonder where it came from..." he narrowed his eyes.

"That's none of your business! Now give me that back and leave me the hell alone!"

"Okay, now yer pissing me off." he snarled and pulled Naruto by the scruff of his collar until their faces were mere inches away from each other. "Yah don't talk to me like that, got it? I could snap yer pretty little neck in half I wanted to. But I don't like to kill off pretty property. Now... tell the little bitch who's sending you flowers that you're taken." he pushed Naruto back, causing the blond to stumble and land hard on his back. Kyuubi snorted and stared at the offending flower for the longest time before letting it drop from the sky.

It landed perfectly next to Naruto's body.

The blond made a move to grab it.

It was crushed by Kyuubi's heavy boot before he could even get to it.

"I hate roses," Kyuubi said with a devious smirk. Pure evil glittered in his eyes. "They're obnoxious and _ugly_. Aw, don't look so sad, Kit. I'll come back for yah and bring you _real _flowers if yah really want." he leaned forward and patted Naruto's head, "Don't forget about me again or else I don't know what I'd do... Doctors say I'm a little crazy when upset." he shrugged with an easygoing smile on his face as he got up, flashed a wave, and walked away from the blond. On his way back a certain raven brushed by him. Onyx and crimson clashed for a brief second...

"Ay there," Kyuubi smirked and walked off.

Sasuke's eyes never left him until the man was out of sight. His stomach twisted into terrible nights. Then he found Naruto on the ground bent over something and was right by his side. "Hey," he placed a hand on the small of Naruto's back, "what's wrong? And who was that guy I just passed...?"

Naruto sniffled back. _'I'm __so __pathetic.' _Somewhere along the lines tears started to pool at the corner of his eyes. He felt like Kyuubi had just come in and knocked down all his walls with just a few simple words. He felt weak. He felt pathetic. And honestly... he felt so... empty.

"The rose," he managed to choke out. The petals were all crumpled and torn and ripped and the stem was bent in half. The life was stomped out of it. "He... he killed it."

"_Who _killed it...?" Sasuke knew deep down he was going to regret asking this.

Naruto hiccuped and squeezed the lifeless flower in his hands, "Kyuubi..."

_Onyx and crimson clashed together... _

Sasuke face palmed and inwardly cursed at himself over and over again for being so... blind. "Fuck...!"

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><p>Fuck indeed... (; Baby pandas love you all, as do I! :D Now, I hope I can make this the twenty chapters as I hoped it to be but we've moved through th major points I wanted to hit pretty quickly, and well, but I'll do my best to extend this a little further :D!<p> 


	16. Support with Setbacks

Gaaarrsh, you guys are amazing! Thank you for all the reviews and favs and alerts (: As always, you guys put a huge smile on my face! Also, to answer a question one of my reviewers had about how I prepare for a lemon scene and all, normally I overload myself with a crap load of yaoi manga and use what I see from there as a reference. Or sometimes I read other people fanfics and see what they do, and use that as a framework for my lemons. My first lemon was really rushed and lame (well, I thought it was) and after a while I realized I like to give more details and imagery rather than focus on "OH HOW KINKY CAN I MAKE THIS". Well, sometimes I try to write really dirty scenes (; but they normally don't come out as good (too me...)

coughs- Anywho. On to the warning and disclaimer!

**Warning: Eh... nothing REALLY happens in this chapter. I honestly don't know how in the rainbow world this chapter popped out of my mind o.o. It's more of a filler for chapter seventeen ;DD. I'm actually working on that right now and I must say it could be very... dramatic. OH YEAH. I SLIPPED IN MINI-SMUT YEAHMEEEE. I got really distracted writing this too. Damn you Tumblr. DAMN YOU (I love you so much).**

**Disclaimer: Guys... my moccasins smell really bad. I don't think that's natural. Someone hook me up with some febreeze. **

Enjoy you lovely, lovely readers c:

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><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen: Support with Setbacks<strong>

It had started to rain by the time Naruto got home. Sasuke followed him into the apartment, and he didn't oppose at all. Naruto's throat was raw and scratchy. His body shook and trembled as if earthquakes were erupting from his body. He had told Sasuke to call Gaara and Kiba over because he didn't really trust his voice at the moment. Memories flashed by of last year, of past years, and they left him weak.

Naruto collapsed on the couch and curled himself into a ball. _'Just breathe,' _he told himself over and over and over again. _'Breathe… relax… calm down.' _

"Naruto…" Sasuke normally wasn't the type of person who knew exactly the right words to say to comfort someone. He was more of an action man than anything else if the past couple of weeks proved as much. Sitting down on the couch, he pulled Naruto in the arms and just… held him. Sasuke was the glue, the anchor, the rope that was keeping Naruto as grounded as he was.

It's painful. To see the one who holds your heart dearly to their own crack and breakdown right in front of you. The terrible part is… sometimes we, as humans, don't know the right words to say, the rights pieces to pick up to put everything back together again.

Iruka came in shortly after wearing his customary blue apron. He was expecting a quiet dinner tonight with Kakashi, Naruto and himself. Surely seeing his ward in someone else's arms bawling was _not _a part of the plan.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" he knelt down and grasped Naruto's shaking hands, worry shining brightly in his eyes. "Is it the dream again…? I told you that staying home was an option. If you weren't strong enough you should have—"

"I saw him." The words cut through the air like daggers. Sharpened daggers that were dipped in truth and burning with the realization of such simple, simple phrases.

Iruka didn't have to ask twice. He knew immediately what Naruto was talking about. Wiping the grease from his hands on his apron, Iruka dug in his pocket and pulled out his cell. "I'll call of Kakashi tonight. Then we talk."

Naruto shook his head slowly. He didn't want to be the reason why Kakashi and Iruka couldn't spend time together. "You don't have to cancel just for me. Kakashi can still come over."

"Are you out of your mind?" Iruka looked at Naruto as if the boy had just grew two heads in the span of thirty seconds. He shook his head at his ward's incredulous behavior and started to punch numbers in his cell. "My son is hurting, and if you think I'd leave you to suffer in silence then you're dead wrong. Also, I'm calling Gaara and Kiba over as well."

The blond was about to protest but the soft pressure coming from his hand stopped him. Naruto looked up, blue clashing with onyx, and read the emotions running through Sasuke's eyes word for word.

"_You need them." _his eyes spoke. With real words, Sasuke said, "In times like these it's good to have family and friends around you for support." He squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter, and his lips were just a breath away from Naruto's ear. "And I'll be here."

'_He'll be here…' _This was a first for Naruto. To hear such words and know they came from the heart made the world seem a little brighter in this dark place and time. And then the words just happened to slip out of Naruto's mouth as he leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder, dried tears caking his face…

"Love you," he muttered. _'Oh shit!' _he thought a second after the words were spoken. There was no such thing as taking them back from the air and shoving them down his throat. They were up, up, up and they couldn't be brought down again… _'Idiot!' _he thought, slapping his hand over his mouth in shock.

Onyx eyes were widened… Really, of all things to hear on a night of shocks, unexpected meetings, and brought up pasts, to hear Naruto say _that… 'Heat of the moment,' _Sasuke figured. Was that the _true _reason, though or was Sasuke too afraid to admit the reality staring him right in the face.

"You too," a lame response in its glory, Sasuke leaned in for a soft kiss but Naruto moved away. The doorbell chimed through out the room, bleeding in with the silence the response created. Watching Naruto walk away, feeling the coldness that immediately attacked his hand, made Sasuke want to curl into a ball and disappear into the cushions of the couch.

"We got the call," Gaara raised up his cell phone before jamming it in his pocket. "You look like shit," he said rather bluntly.

If it were anyone else who said that, Naruto might have punched him or her in the face. Instead—since it was Gaara—Naruto managed to slip on a shaky smile and shrugged. "I feel like shit."

"Of all the fucking times that douche could have come back!" Kiba threw his arms around Naruto's shoulders and brought him into a hug. "You okay, buddy? He didn't touch you anywhere did he?" and just to make sure Kiba started to feel Naruto's stomach, thighs… _everywhere _really until the blond pulled him off, fussing.

"No, Kiba. Kyu—He didn't touch me anywhere."

He did a mighty fine job of scarring the boy's soul, though.

Naruto led his two best friends into the living room. Inside, he made eye contact with his raven. He felt another pang of sadness and disappointment attack his heart—just what he needed. _'Did I expect anything less?' _Sometimes you have to set your hopes lower so when they're crushed, you don't bleed as much. The rational part of Naruto's mind was telling him to stop being silly and forgive and forget. Just because he didn't have any qualms about saying those three, precious words didn't mean Sasuke was the same way. The raven had promised to say them, and he would.

The disappointment still stung though, but as Naruto sat back down on the couch—Kiba and Gaara were sitting on the floor and Iruka was still on the phone with Kakashi—Sasuke's hand made a reach for his and he held it… for the support. For the reassurance that sure, Sasuke wasn't about to get on one knee and propose to him right now, but he would be by his side when he was on the ground with a bruised spirit. He'd be there. His actions spoke louder than words, and that eased Naruto down tremendously.

Iruka came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, looking a little worse for wear. He barely paid any mind to the fact that Kiba and Gaara had gotten here rather quickly. The boys would have teleported here in three seconds flat if they were invited for pasta night. "Sorry that took so long. Kakashi's a hard one to convince…" he sat down on the armrest of the couch and upheld his position proudly as the guardian of the house. "Naruto, the floor's yours."

The story was told. A choppy beginning choked by tears and interrupted with questions that popping up here and there. The middle flowed with the intentions of meeting the end; quick but never skipping over important details. The end was… the end. It finished with Naruto squeezing the daylights out of Sasuke's hand and trailed off in the whisper…

"He's back," was the closing string that shut the door and ended the story.

_He's back. He's back. He's back. A trail of blood is ready to be shed and spread._

Kiba was the first to show some forms of life after the brutal story telling. He leaned back on the palms of his hands and whistled long and low. "Damn… just… damn."

"I think what Kiba is trying to say here, is that Kyuubi's random appearance is unsettling." Gaara said.

"I agree," Iruka nodded. He was chewing on his bottom lip hard enough to draw a slight stream of blood. "Kyuubi was supposed to be long gone from here… Naruto, didn't you say he had fled the country or something?"

Naruto nodded slowly. He didn't trust his voice anymore. By this time, Sasuke had his arms wrapped around Naruto's shoulders. Sometimes he would whisper words of encouragement. Other times he would just hold him… hold him and never let go.

Kiba sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Guys, we need like a battle plan or something. Kyuubi could come back again!"

The thought of seeing that demon again made Naruto shiver terribly. Gaara punched Kiba on the arm—for good measure, of course.

"Idiots should not talk in serious situations." The redhead narrowed his eyes at the brunet he dared to call his friend and shot Naruto an apologetic look. "Sorry about his stupidity, but on this rare occasion Kiba _is _right. The fact that he has come back means he could return at any time. A plan would be nice to have at this moment."

"I don't think you heard me correctly. Kyuubi is a _gang _member!" Naruto reminded Gaara. "And this isn't some laughable gang kids come up with to feel cool. This is the Nine-Tails clan we're talking about."

"Holy shit!" Kiba nearly jumped five feet in the air. "_The _Nine-Tails clan? Like the crazy, psycho people who go around beheading people and have the police literally wrapped around their fingers? That gang?"

Gaara punched Kiba again. This time it was in the face.

Iruka rubbed his throbbing temples. From Kiba's comments, to the severity situation, to Kakashi's earlier bitching, the brunet was finding it hard to not snap at something. "All right…" he said, exhaling a calming breath, "do we all know which infamous gang we're talking about now?" Iruka pointed his gaze towards Kiba who looked away sheepishly. Yep, everyone knew now. "For now, as far as making plans go, I think Naruto should stay home for a while until everything blows down."

Deep, deep, deep down everyone knew that just hiding Naruto away for a while would drive Kyuubi out of the city. It was a good thing to chew on for the moment. Anything would do to take away the brutish anxiety weighing on everyone's shoulder. Sobriety settled itself into the air, sinking into the pores of the four men in the room. Kiba, being the type of person he was, and Naruto, also being the type of person he was, couldn't stand the serious silence for too long so Kiba started to hum a random song. Naruto could pick up on the lyrics easily and sang along to the tune. That somehow got Gaara into tapping the beat and Sasuke into drumming his fingers on his leg. Iruka joined in and sooner or later some music started to flow around the room, lifting up everyone's spirits.

"Take me by the tongue and I'll know you!" Naruto sang to the heavens.

"Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you!"

"We've got the moves like Jagger! We've got the moves like Jagger! We've got the mo~ooo~oooves like Jagger!" Naruto and Kiba sang in perfect unison before collapsing in a heap of laughter. Laughter was always the best medicine in any situation.

"Dude, don't even worry about it! Gaara and I will visit you like everyday!" Kiba slugged an arm around Naruto's arm and smiled in his genuine goofy fashion. "I'll even get Gaara to make some Nutella cupcakes for you!"

Naruto's eyes dazzled like sparklers. "They have such beautiful things?"

"Dude. You can make _anything _with Nutella."

Being in such high spirits afterwards (really who couldn't be happy knowing they'd be getting Nutella cupcakes?) Naruto sadly said goodbye to his best friends, almost forgetting how childishly mad he was at Sasuke. Then the raven trapped him in a kiss that left him absolutely breathless and weak in the knees.

"Don't be mad," Sasuke whispered. His words shook.

Blue eyes darted off to the side, "I'm not mad."

"Now you're lying _and _mad."

"I'm not lying, Teme!" Naruto pushed the raven away and motioned him towards the door. "Besides, don't you have to go home soon or something?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto as if he were crazy and scoffed. "What type of boyfriend would I be leaving you alone in a time like this?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He was desperately trying to ignore his rapidly pulsating heart that was gaining more and more speed over the fact that Sasuke would be staying over…at his house… most likely in his room… Oh the images that danced through and tortured his mind. "I don't remember saying you could stay here tonight." Why yes, Naruto did enjoy being difficult.

That didn't mean Sasuke couldn't handle a tough blond every once in a while. The raven made eye contact with Iruka who was rushing around the living room fixing things out of nervous habit and asked, "Iruka-san, do you mind if I stay here the night?"

Iruka turned around; hands still fiddling with a picture frame he _knew _was off mark by a few inches and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. I don't see why not."

Ha. Point one for Sasuke.

Naruto jutted out his bottom lip and folded his arms across his chest. "I hate you."

Sasuke simply held Naruto's hands and began tugging him upstairs. He really hadn't planned on staying the night, so he hadn't brought any clothes along with him with the exception of the clothes jammed deep down in his duffle bag, but that situation could be handled later. He had a lot of say, and he would get through them all with or without Naruto being a tad bitchy for the rest of the night.

They were in Naruto's room in a matter of minutes. It was the first time Sasuke had seen or been in his blond's room now that he realized it. He had expected the room to look like someone threw up orange juice all over the walls but in reality the tone was rather calm and neutral. Dark greens covered the walls, black plush carpet warmed his toes, and faded glow in the dark stickers were plastered to the ceiling. Sasuke plopped down on the bed and pulled Naruto with him by the hands.

Silence flittered in and out through the fragile space between them. The sound of Iruka busying him could be heard from downstairs. The outside world was simply that—outside of the fish bowl—no longer a problem. It was just the two of them, Naruto and Sasuke, the only fish swimming in the bowl.

Naruto gulped and shivered, the touches Sasuke was spreading through out his body—stroking the back of his hands, rubbing his arms up and down, teasing his hips—was maddening. "You really didn't have to do that. I'll be fine." His heart betrayed every word.

"I wanted to stay because I can't leave you alone." Sasuke pulled Naruto forward and captured his lips in a searing kiss. Their lips molded and moved to a dance only they knew the melody to. Sasuke tugged at Naruto's lips. The moan that escaped his blond traveled right down his groin. Their tongues touched. Electricity sparked between the two boys. And the passion started to rise higher and higher…

Somehow someway they ended up on the bed. Sasuke was on top and Naruto was on bottom, but the blond wasn't in the mood to complain—not when Sasuke's hands were doing wondrous things to his body. It never in registered that they were probably going to far in Naruto's mind. The rush of emotions from tonight were all being blocked out by Sasuke and his touches and it just felt so right and real that Naruto was easily swept away by the heat.

Sasuke's hands traveled up Naruto's shirt, tickling and caressing the taut and beautiful skin below. Naruto squirmed. His back arched off the bed, and their hips meshed a little closer causing strangled moans to come from both the raven and the blond. Naruto gasped audibly as a hand sneaked high enough to tweak and twist a nipple. He bit on his lower lip, his body shivering as Sasuke's mouth attached to his neck and sucked _right _at his pulse.

"S-Sasuke," the word tumble out of Naruto's lips in the most sinfully seductive way… it made Sasuke lose another sliver of control. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders and pressed his aching, clothed erection against Sasuke's.

The raven chuckled breathlessly, running his hand through Naruto's golden locks. "Someone's not mad anymore."

Naruto puffed out his blushing cheeks. "I was never mad."

Golden hair was splayed out sporadically on the pillow, blue eyes looked up at him with lust and adoration and want and… and… that _word_, and Naruto's cheeks were so flushed right now but Sasuke still thought Naruto was beautiful. And he kissed him—long and hard. When he pulled back he smirked, "You were and you have every right to be. Sometimes I can fuck things up."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "Sometimes?" he asked with a silly grin painted on his face.

The raven rolled his eyes, "Don't push it, Dobe." Then leaned in to kiss Naruto again and again and again…

And the space between them grew a little tighter, the air a little warmer, and their hearts protested a little louder. When their lips pulled apart their bodies stayed glued together. Naruto snuggled into the warmth—erection forgotten for now—and sighed in content.

"I'm glad you're here."

Who knew four words could mean so much?

Sasuke smiled and kissed Naruto on the forehead. "Did you really expect me to leave you alone tonight?"

The thought never crossed Naruto's mind. Naruto and Sasuke snuggled underneath the covers; the raven's arm casually draped around Naruto's hip, and lived in the warmth. Nothing seemed to really matter anymore. Hearing three words could wait for a while. All that really mattered was that Sasuke was here. Naruto could hear that comforting sound of another heart beating and living against his back. He could feel Sasuke's warmth and heat surrounding him and making him safe.

"Thanks," Naruto mumbled again. Blue eyes were clouding over with exhaustion from an emotionally draining day.

"Go to sleep, Dobe." Sasuke whispered equally tired. The two drifted up into the world of their dreams where everything seemed possible. There was no sign of Kyuubi. It was just the two of them in a world where they didn't have to worry about what could happen next.

That night, Naruto truly believed he would never see Kyuubi again… Oh boy was he wrong.

+I Promise+

Smokey wisps crawled upwards towards the sky. Even in the deep of night, the only thing that could be seen was the bright, fiery mess of red belonging to man with an agenda to finished. Kyuubi stood leaning against a light post a few blocks away from _his _blond's house. He scowled deeply, knowing that the annoying little raven probably hadn't left the house yet.

"Moving in on my property…" he scoffed and blew another puff of harming chemicals into the air. "They'll regret it." Kyuubi smiled sinisterly and threw one more glance at the apartment before turning back for his motorcycle. "I always get what I want, Kit, or have you really forgotten? Dumbass…" he kicked his bike into gear and skidded around the corner, out of sight.

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><p>Short. Sweet. And will lead us to the next chapter (; I'll post the link to that sasunaru thingy I found RIGHT now and also, if you haven't already, you should follow my Tumblr (; I made a new one and I'll have that link up thurrr too. I mostly use it to blog whatever the hell I want so feel free to follow c:<p>

Till next time beautiful people! OH. OH. And I need Sasunaru fanfic recommendations (: I need to read a good one. I haven't done so in awhile. EVEN RECOMMEND YOUR STORIES IF YOU WISH C;


	17. Red's Not Your Color

You know... this chapter ended a lot differently than I expected o3o. Like, I had this going all morbid and stuff but instead I actually manage to incorporate some humor and angst and fluff and romance and a whole bunch of other colors to puke up this rainbow of a chapter... Haaa... puking rainbows o.o Anywho! Thanks for your reviews, and alerts, and favorites (: You guys make me OHHH so happy!

**Warning: I watched the new Pokemon movie today and yesterday. It was brilliant. OHRIGHT! The warning. Uhhh... be warned that anything could happen with this twisted authoress (;**

**Disclaimer: Christmas is coming... and I think finding Naruto and Sasuke under my tree would be a wonderful gift for the holiday season 8D**

Enjoy my wonderful readers! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: Red's Not Your Color<strong>

One full week. It had been one full week since Naruto had permanently arrested himself inside the apartment. At first, Naruto thought it would be the coolest thing ever! Really, who wouldn't want to be able to stay home from school, sleep in, and do nothing all day? Well, that got boring about two days in.

'_I can't even go down to the convenience shop!' _Naruto blew air upwards towards his bangs as he plopped down no the couch and fished for the remote. _The View _would be on soon—his latest morning talk show addiction—and he didn't want to miss a beat of Whoopie's humor-filled remarks. On his lap was his cell that he would occasionally check in hopes his friends and boyfriend hadn't forgotten him for their wonderful social lives.

So far they were doing a good job of keeping Naruto in the loops of things.

His phone buzzed. _Dude! U missed a wild fight! There was blood and some kid got wrecked ;P_

_Dnt tell me u tried to jump in 2?_

_Nah, bitch. I kept my hands clean this time… I did video tape it though ;D this shit is going on Youtube! _

_Blow it up ;DDD! _Naruto chuckled to himself, "Ha, blow it up! Like Kesha. This place about to bloooow! Haaa, geez I'm funny." The morning solitude also opened up a new part of Naruto—the part that enjoyed talking to no one but himself. Since Iruka always left early for work—despite the man's protests to stay home with Naruto just in case—and Kiba, Gaara, and Sasuke's texts always came sporadically because the risk of getting caught texting was way too high, Naruto was pretty much left to his thoughts for most of the day.

Next text came from Gaara.

_Gone insane yet?_

_Bitch I've been insane for years now. _He always used proper grammar texting Gaara because the redhead would go into a rant about how idiotic a person was using "2" for "to" or something like that over message, and he wasn't about to get nagged at again.

_Ha, I suppose so. _

_You still coming over today?_

_Nope. Your boyfriend made it clear that he wanted some one-on-one time with you today. Prepare to be fucked._

Naruto's face literally exploded with red cheeks. His phone flew out of his hands from the shock of Gaara's bluntness, which, really, he should be used to by now. "Oh my God…" Naruto groaned as he reluctantly went for his cell that hit the floor. _You. Have. No. Fucking. Shame._

_Says the boy whose about to spread his legs…_

_I hate you!_

_Don't lie (;_

_I hate you! I hate you! I haaaaate you! XO!_

_Yeah sure. Prepare yourself now. I bet Uchiha's HUGE. Have a good day. (;_

"Shunned," Naruto said resolutely as he shoved his phone deep into the black hole that was his pocket. "Forever shunned! I don't even know why I still talk to that weirdo!" Gaara was entertaining, that's why. The blond sighed and lay down on the couch, drumming his fingers on his tummy. "I wonder what Sasuke's doing…?" he had shot off a text earlier but Sasuke hadn't answered. "Maybe he's busy in class or something?"

Grabbing his remote, Naruto started the fun sport of channel surfing. "Let's see what's on Cartoon Network…"

Ten minutes later and Naruto had fallen back asleep.

+I Promise: Rallying Troops+

"Yo Lil' Raven!" Deidara and Suigetsu had effectively blocked Sasuke off from getting out the door. Arms folded across their chests and serious expressions slapped on their faces, these two meant business.

"Can I help you?" Sasuke let loose all his exasperation onto his words. _'I knew they'd be coming sooner or later.' _He had just hoped it would have been the latter instead of the former but Life rarely goes the way we want it to.

Deidara huffed and pushed Sasuke on the shoulder. "Fuck yes you can help! Where's Blondie, huh?"

"Have you fucked him so hard he can't get out of bed?" Suigetsu asked. "Jesus, boy, ever heard of self-control?"

Sasuke felt a vein pop in his head. He counted from one to ten _very _slowly before opening his eyes and flashing the two idiots a glare. "No, I have not inserted my penis into Naruto's anus. He's sick." The last part was a lie that hopefully Deidara and Suigetsu would catch up on his fib and leave him alone.

Sadly, that didn't happen.

"Bull," Deidara deadpanned and dropped Sasuke on a nearby bench. "I know for a fact—"

"We bullied this out of Kiba," Suigetsu interjected with a smirk.

"—That Blondie has _not _been sick and has been staying home for reasons we shall soon learn. So spill," Deidara clapped his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and stared him dead in the eyes, "or else I'll make sure you can't play soccer for a while. I heard trying to play soccer in a wheel chair is a bitch."

If this were anyone else being threatened, they may have peed their pants by now. Deidara could be a very intimidating person when he wished to be. However, this is Sasuke _Uchiha _and no one threatens an Uchiha to the point where they soil themselves.

Sasuke stared at the two hands on his shoulders and slapped them both off with one hand. Then he shot Deidara a glare that could rival and overpower the taller one's in a matter of seconds. "First of all, you're really in no position to make threats seeing as I'm a co-captain and a major part to this team. Secondly… I can't tell you why Naruto's not here."

"And why not?" Suigetsu wanted to know.

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Because it's not my story to tell. If you really want to know then ask Naruto."

"You know what…?" Deidara smiled wickedly as he searched through his front pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "That sounds like a great idea, Lil' Raven!" he started to punch in numbers and placed his phone to his ear. "It's ringing… oh hey, Blondie! How ya feelin'? Better I hope! … Uh huh… really? You sound pretty good to me right now. Hey, I was just wondering… what the hell have you been hiding from us, huh? Fess up!"

Suigetsu pulled the phone from Deidara's ear and yelled, "Or else!"

Deidara pulled his phone back with a mini scowl on his face, "Yeah. What he said."

Sasuke was absolutely horrified by his two teammates. Honestly, how far could they go just to get a little piece of information? All right, it was pretty big news but couldn't they respect Naruto's privacy? Sasuke could only imagine how awkward and on the spot Naruto must have been feeling right now.

"Guys," Sasuke said sternly, "leave him alone. If he doesn't want to talk then don't—"

"WHAT THE FUCK?" the phone clattered to the floor, the loudest sound in the barren locker room. Deidara's eyes were wide as saucers and his hand was shaking. He gulped a few times then turned to Sasuke. "How the _fuck _could you know that Naruto has a creepy stalker ex roaming around and not tell any of us? So much for freaking brotherhood!"

"What?" Suigetsu was as lost as Dora without her map or pointy blue cursor. "What did Blondie say?"

Sasuke was the only one to pick up the abandoned phone and winced. He could hear Naruto yelling his brains out right now and the boy had _lungs_. "Naruto," he said calmly, "you need to stop yelling. You'll rupture my eardrum and damage your vocal chords."

"_How would you feel if someone just _dropped _their phone while talking to you, huh? Oh wait… is this Sasuke?" _Naruto's words seemed to brighten up and float a little, "_Hey, Sasuke! What's up?"_

"Is this really the time for small talk?" though Sasuke was smiling like the cute raven he was despite how Deidara was currently flipping out more than necessary. "Deidara is going to give me hell now because I didn't tell him your problem sooner."

"_Well I don't mind if you tell them. They are my friends after all and one way or another news would spread around…"_

Fair enough to Sasuke. "So how was your day? I'm glad to see you haven't bored yourself to death yet."

"_Oh my God you wouldn't even believe how tedious it is to sit around and do_ nothing! _I've been reduced to camping out in the bathtub and using it as a race track for my cars since the idea hit me last Sunday." _

"Poor you," Sasuke smirked. His lips curled a little higher hearing that adorable huff hit his ears. "I thought you were living up your addiction of The View and what not."

_"Reruns," __Naruto deadpanned. __"And they're not even good reruns!" _

"I never knew there were such things as 'good reruns'." Sasuke mocked. Sadly their conversation was cut short by Deidara and Suigetsu's protest that a team meeting be held now.

"No ifs, ands, or buts, Uchiha!" Deidara said as he yanked the phone out of Sasuke's grasp and yelled a quick goodbye before ending the call. "You held out vital information from the whole team about a valuable player, and you and Kiba will be thoroughly punished for that. But for now, we gotta come up with a plan!"

"I still have no idea what's going on!" Suigetsu whined.

Deidara was shooting off text messages left and right but didn't miss a beat. "Naruto's in trouble. Crazy, psycho bitch wants his ass again. And Sasuke's a terrible boyfriend for not telling anyone anything about it!"

_S_uigetsu gasped and turned mortified eyes towards an aggravated but more or less indifferent Sasuke. "You monster!" he accused.

"Yes, I am a wild beast who kept his boyfriend's secret safe and sound because I care for him and his privacy. Shame on me for not spreading it around the whole soccer team." Sasuke held on very tightly to his condescending tone.

Deidara smirked, "Well if you're being truly repentant about it..."

Less than five minutes later and about half the soccer team who hadn't left after today's game congregated inside the gray and black boys' locker room. Among them were Itachi, Hidan, Pein, Neji, Haku, Sasori, Kiba and a few others.

"You have thirty minutes to explain why you interrupted my blowjob for this." Itachi blurted out plainly. The team by now was already attuned to most of the team members' blunt ways of bringing up their sex life. And, if words weren't enough, Itachi's obvious problem poked up loud and proud.

"Aniki..." Sasuke groaned with a roll of his eyes. "Please, no one wants to know what things you and Hidan get up to after soccer is over."

Hidan grinned from ear to ear. "You'd be surprised, Lil' Raven."

"Cut it out, guys," Deidara shot heart-piercing glares to all three of his teammates until they settled down. They knew when and when not to mess with Deidara, especially when he purposefully missed an opportunity to add his input on something sexual. "This is serious. Naruto's in trouble."

"Did his illness get worse?" Haku asked genuinely concerned. Everyone else minus Deidara, Suigetsu, Kiba, and Sasuke also mumbled their worries and comments.

"Nope. Apparently that was all bull," Deidara shot knives towards a certain brunet and raven in particular. "I think these two can explain the situation better than I can."

Kiba and Sasuke exchanged glances.

_"You tell them,"_ Kiba's eyes said.

_"You brought it up. You tell them,"_ Sasuke's eyes shot right back.

Rolling back his shoulders, Kiba sighed and prepared for the worst. "Well... you see... Naruto's staying home because... well..."

"Out with it," Pein command silently but sternly.

"He''llprobablygetrapedorsomething,"the brunet was gasping for clumps and clumps of air afterward, hoping against hope that he could shrink away from all the scrutinizing gazes his teammates were shooting at him right now.

_"WHAT?"_ they all cried out.

Deidara simply leaned his back against a row of lockers and nodded as his point was reaffirmed. "So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that we need to think of a plan, and think of one fast, correct?"

Everyone nodded, though Itachi was the first to speak up. "We'll need background information first. Then come up with a battle strategy." he turned to Kiba and Sasuke who both stood up a little straighter under his piercing gaze. "And this time... don't leave anything out."

+I Promise+

It was around seven in the evening right now and Naruto was positive that half his brain was melted by now. "Never again will I watch Discovery Planet…" he swore with a shudder. "Never again." Iruka still wasn't home—he stayed out until ten on the weekdays—so it was up to Naruto to make some dinner. On his way to the kitchen he sneaked a peek at his phone…

_No new messages._

A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled out his customary stash of ramen from the cupboard and pulled off the cover. "Sasuke will come," Naruto told himself. It was a mantra that ran and ran maddeningly in his head. Torturing him to the point that when he placed his bowl of ramen into he microwave, Naruto was itching to do _something_—anything. Didn't matter what. He just needed something to take his mind off of the raven.

That was really hard to do.

The microwave beeped four minutes later. Naruto was about to pull out his ramen when the wonderful chime of someone pounding on his doorbell floated around the air. His heart literally skyrocketed to his throat while he ran for the door. "Wait," he stopped himself from flinging open the door like a maniac on drugs and cooled down a final onceover. "Hair? Check. Clothes," he looked down at his Adidas sweatpants and light blue hoodie. Oh yeah, he was dressed to turn heads today. "Eh, I'm hot in anything." He slapped his cheeks a few times, just so his smile wouldn't look wide and awkward and finally flung the door open…

To a fiery mass of red.

"Ay there, Kit," Kyuubi was the epitome of calm and menacing. He was casually leaning against the doorframe, black sunglasses perfectly poised over his eyes and a smirk that was way too easygoing to be comforting slapped on his face, his aura screamed _nonchalance_ and that alone was terrifying.

Naruto gulped and instinctively went for the door to slam it shut. His hand never made it to the doorknob because Kyuubi clapped his hand tightly around Naruto's wrist. Kyuubi's hand engulfed Naruto's smaller arm and the blond knew that, if Kyuubi really wanted to, he could probably break something instantaneously.

"Why are you here?" it was a miracle that Naruto was even able to choke out such a simple sentence.

Kyuubi's slowly curling grin answered it all: they both knew why he was here. The answer was obvious.

"It's a beautiful night," somehow Kyuubi's body was a little closer and his breath tickled the Naruto's ear and left a trail of ice leading down to his neck. "I thought we could go for a midnight ride. Yah know, like old times."

Naruto managed to find the strength to rip out of Kyuubi's grip but he was no fool. Kyuubi had let him go free because he _wanted_ that to happen. Even now this was all just a game to the fire demon before him. A game where Naruto would be backed into the tightest, darkest wall imaginable until he cracked. Cracked into a million pieces of his former self. He was cracking right now. Cracking from the fear and the anxiety and the dark outcomes of what could happen if Kyuubi took one step closer…

"I thought I sensed something wrong… An ugly mess of red just stepped into my line of sight and it's blinding."

"Sasuke!" Naruto's heart nearly collapsed with relief. His raven was standing in the doorway looking ready to burst with fury. His fists were clenched and shaking by his sides. Onyx eyes were narrowed in daggers towards the ever-cocky Kyuubi. And Sasuke's mouth was contorted into a frown.

Kyuubi looked bored and lowered his glasses down the bridge of his nose to peer above the rim. "Who's this?" his blood red eyes raked across Sasuke's tall frame and—though he would deny it through and through—a tiny shiver danced along the boy's spine. The way Kyuubi's eyes were digging into him… it was unsettling. "Oh wait… he looks familiar." A wide grin enveloped your face, "You're that skinny ass kid I passed a while back! I'd notice that punk ass hairstyle a mile away."

Sasuke was fuming. The man had the audacity to forget ever meeting him and then diss on his hair? Naruto, on the other hand, was waiting for the explosion. When two, very powerful, egos start to clash. Sasuke would snap, he could see the telltale signs of his boyfriend's sanity and control slipping and falling apart. Kyuubi had a knack for pushing people hard enough so that they'd fall and break and shatter all over the floor by his feet.

The raven took one step closer and Kyuubi's grin grew a little slicker. "Pity… a piece of red _trash_ doesn't remember me. I'll make sure to cry about that once you leave."

Now Naruto was absolutely speechless. How in the world could Sasuke conjure up so much courage to speak up to Kyuubi? _Kyuubi!'He's dead…'_ Naruto shook his head wildly and mentally slapped himself repeatedly over and over again. He was acting so cowardly right now and it sickened him to the very trenches of his soul that he couldn't even stand up and kick Kyuubi out of his house.

It was a damn shame; to be shackled down so hard that he couldn't even fight back…

Kyuubi looked rather amused rather than annoyed. Though, if you knew the man well enough, you would know that those two adjectives were closely related. "The bitch's gotta bite…" he chuckled and pushed his glasses over his eyes again. No longer could Sasuke read the man's emotions—not like they were easy to decipher in the first place. "Look, kid, obviously yer not understanding the very simple concept that's staring you right in the face. Naruto…" he leaned in a little closer. His breath was stained with cigarettes. "Is mine."

Sasuke did the one thing Naruto never expected him to do—he punched Kyuubi. Hard. Hard enough for a sickening _crack_ to reverberate in the horrid silence that fumed the air. Naruto's eyes were ready to pop out of his skull. Kyuubi's head only moved a few inches to the left, but it was a mortal blow to the man's pride. Naruto could see it through his awestruck eyes. Kyuubi was going to blow up. He could see it. And all he wanted to do was grab Sasuke's hand and run.

"Naruto is _not_ yours. He never was, he never will be." And just to make his point more clearer he grabbed Naruto's hand and interlocked their fingers, staring Kyuubi right into his sunglass-covered eyes. "Now leave. Your hair color is an eyesore and personally you're not wanted here."

Kyuubi's face turned stone cold. And for a brief, splash of a second, Naruto thought he was going to pull out a gun and shoot them both point blank. The seconds that passed by dragged on for what seemed to be an eternity until Kyuubi made any movement. He rubbed his jaw, moving it from side to side and then spit off to some random direction—blood and spit combined. He pushed his glasses up to his hairline to show off the pure, fiery madness in his eyes.

"Lucky punch. One helluva left hook. Too bad that'll be the last punch yah get to throw." He slipped back on his shades and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. The fact that he hadn't retaliated violently, thrown a fit, done _something_ remotely demonic that had labeled this man the Fire Demon of the Nine-Tails unsettled Naruto to no end.

Naruto gulped once more. "Kyuubi… you're not going to do anything?"

Kyuubi cocked a fine eyebrow and then grinned slow and lazy-like. "Yah want me to go ape shit on yer bitch's skinny ass?" he scoffed when he saw the small tremble wrack through Naruto's body despite how strong and solid those blue eyes were trying to come off. "Whatever. I didn't come here to start shit… yet." He brushed by the Sasuke and bent forward—he was about a good foot taller than Naruto—and whispered so only the blond could hear him. "Sorry we couldn't go on that ride. I'll pick yah up sometime."

"Don't even bother!" Naruto snapped. "Next time I see you I'm fucking calling the cops."

Kyuubi clucked his tongue and brushed passed the blond, letting the threat wash over him like running water. "Yer threats were always cute. They were never really intimidating but yah looked cute with yer face all flushed and stuff. Don't forget about our date. I'll pick you up sometime."

And then he was gone. A red blur ready to mix in, stand out, and create havoc upon the night. There was a cold gust of air before the door finally slammed shut behind him. The sound resonated through out the living room and pumped through Sasuke and Naruto's bodies like the bass pounding through the speakers. It was only a few seconds later that Naruto gripped onto Sasuke and refused to let go.

"You were late!" he said. They were the first words to come to his mind. Every time he saw Kyuubi he remember _everything_. All the emotions and lies and pain and turmoil and destruction… His stomach would burn and then turn bone chilling cold. His heart would stop beating. His mind would self-destruct. Kyuubi could kill him just by standing in the same room—it was that bad.

Sasuke sighed, though there was a tired smile painted on his face as he returned the hug. Their bodies molded together so perfectly. "Sorry. I was tied up with soccer… the guys came up with a plan for you." This time his smile grew a little brighter. "I must say, for a group of testosterone-filled, adrenaline junkie, sex crazed boys could come up with something this well thought out astounds me."

_'They would do that for me?'_ Naruto was never cared so much before by so many people. It was like he had a whole army of friends… no_ family_ ready to aid him in battle. It made his heart feel a lot lighter. He smiled, "Somehow I'm a little scared to know what those guys cooked up without me?"

"Trust me. If it was anything detrimental or down right idiotic I would have put a stop to it immediately."

"Good to know my future safety lies in your hands."

"Well I'm not about to let you get hurt if I have a say about it."

Naruto smiled and leaned up to peck Sasuke on the lips, "You're too sweet. Mr. Uchiha's overprotective about little old me…"

Sasuke scoffed and pressed Naruto even closer. Their lips met again but this time their kiss went a little deeper. "I'm terrified of the prospect of losing you, Naruto. So sue me if I go a little homicidal on someone who wants to hurt you…"

There was something that was supposed to be said. A sentence comprised of three words. Three words that could mean the whole world or lead to someone's ruination. It wasn't said, but it dangled in the air like clouds printed up in the sky. So visible to see but you couldn't reach out to grasp any of them—they were too far away.

Instead, Naruto did the next best thing. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and stood on his tiptoes so his mouth was pressed right against Sasuke's ear.

"Stay with me, tonight?" his whisper sent a line of fire burning every nerve in Sasuke's body.

"Dobe, you know I'm going to say yes."

Naruto smirked and started to drag Sasuke up the stairs to his room. They weren't going to have sex. Hell, Naruto was even in the right mindset to look at a condom. He just wanted Sasuke. Everything that he could grasp on that was his raven he wanted. He needed his heat, his words, his encouragement, and his undying affection. Naruto wanted their bodies to become entangled in an unbreakable bond that not even Kyuubi could pry in and tear apart.

That night when Iruka finally got home he found a blond and a raven tightly curled and clasped and connected with each other. Everything that could be interlocked and tangled was interlocked and tangled. He opened the door just a crack before smiling and slipping back out, content knowing his ward… no, his _son_ finally found someone.

"I pray they can stay together like that."

If only they could.

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><p>I'm pretty sure I said something about chapter 17 being fun... I lied. It'll be 18 8D. I really want to incorporate that motorcycle ride Kyuubi was talking about... Reminds me of the manga Hai to Diamond now that I think about it c: Baby pandas love you guys! And of course, I love you too (; -HEART HERE-<p> 


	18. Blazing Glory Twelfth Promise

SO CLOSE TO 400! I can feel it. MMMM. Feeling it. MMMMM. Kay guys, good news and bad news. Good news: 11 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS BABY! If I started earlier I would be working on a oneshot Christmas collection but you know... o.o BAD NEWS: This story will most likely be completed in one or two more chapters. It all depends on how chapter 19 pans out. But, as always, thank you for your support! For my beautiful reviewers and my beautiful adding-alerters and my beautiful favoriters-ers! If I wasn't so tired from writing I would go on forever but... yeah o.o

**Warning: THIS CHAPTER TOOK A MIND OF ITS OWN I TELL YAH! ITS OWN! But I'm happy with how it came out c: Swearing, possible slight OOC? Eh. Such things happen.** **There's a whole section that's like** _alskfalfjsafl _**this just means Narutos' reliving a past event/memory 8D. NBD.**

**Disclaimer: Every time I do this my soul dies a little... T^T IT'S NOT WORTH THE SCARRING!**

YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! Enjoy chapter 18 (:

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Blazing Glory<strong>

**+Twelfth Promise+**

Naruto was always an early riser. Maybe it was because his dreams no longer captivated his wishes. Or maybe it was just the excitement of knowing when he woke up someone would be sleeping right beside him. He'd be in Sasuke's arms right where he belonged. Naruto smiled. He had always wanted to watch Sasuke sleep. The raven looked serene in his sleep but his grip around Naruto's waist was still very tight.

'_He's so cute,' _Naruto giggled and brushed a few strays of black hair from his raven's face. The urge to touch Sasuke _everywhere _attacked him in bursts of heat and adrenaline. Nothing too shameless, of course, just minor touches and caresses that could lead to something more…

"_Don't forget about our date. I'll pick you up sometime." _

Kyuubi's words attacked Naruto's mind over and over again and he shivered, squirming in Sasuke's grip_. __'Why can't he just leave me alone? I should be nothing to Kyuubi now. After what happened,' _he shivered again. Blue eyes locked on his raven that was still sleeping peacefully and unknowingly to the inner turmoil swirling within Naruto. A sick feeling pooled inside the pit of his stomach. Naruto slowly untangled himself from Sasuke's grip and walked into the bathroom. Light flooded the room in a warm, pleasant glow.

Naruto gripped on the edges of the sink counter, staring at his reflection in the mirror above the sink head on. His blue eyes had lost a little spark in them—dulled by worry and coated with fear of the unknown… No. It wasn't the unknown anymore. He knew Kyuubi wanted him and would come back for him eventually. Now, it was the links and chains of wonder that would trap his mind and thoughts of _when_ and _why_.

"I'm scared," Naruto whispered to his reflection. He was pouring out all his fears and anxieties, to see them out in the open and watch them evaporate in puffs of smoke rising in the cold air. "I'm so, so scared." His voice trembled from the truth. "I don't want Kyuubi to come back for me, but I don't know if I have the power to stop him."

The mirror contorted his worst dreams and fears to life. In the mirror he could see Kyuubi cupping his chin in those big, cold hands that would grab him and feel him years and years ago. Last year's memories and scars came alive and burned at every fiber of Naruto's skin. The worst pain, though, was his stomach. It twisted and turned and squeezed—the pain sending bursts of memories about the night when he first got that tattoo.

_"Yer gonna look so pretty," __Kyuubi cooed. It was dark. It was raining outside. And Naruto's mother was out for a night on the town. _

_Naruto gulped, his childishly innocent eyes blinking back tears as Kyuubi took another step closer. His first intention was to run far away. But he couldn't. Fear glued him to the spot and Kyuubi's eyes were the ropes making sure Naruto didn't get too far. _

_"Stop it, Kyuu-chan!" __Haphazard waterfalls fell from Naruto's eyes as Kyuubi caught his wrists and slammed him off against the wall. His whole, naked back frosted over with chills from the cold wall_

_"I always loved it when yah screamed," __Kyuubi chuckled breathlessly. His breath was dangerously close to Naruto's left ear and his tongue crept out to play. It licked the outer shell of Naruto's ear, prodding it, and dragged all the way down to Naruto's pulsating neck. __"This ain't gonna hurt if yah don't squirm."_

_But Naruto was already squirming and kicking and screaming. He begged and pleaded for Kyuu-chan to stop whatever joke he was trying to play on him. It wasn't funny anymore. It was damn terrifying. _

_"Kyuu-chan—" __Naruto's protest was cut off by the sound of whirring and Kyuubi's darkly coated chuckles._

_"Don't speak. Yah can scream, but don't yah dare speak." __He grabbed Naruto by both wrists with one hand and held a tattoo machine in the other. __"I was thinkin' of giving yah a nice, pretty swirl like the sun yah love so much." _

_Naruto was too busy screaming his throat raw to even pay attention to what Kyuubi was saying. He was praying desperately that someone would come down and save him. If it wasn't his mother, than Iruka at __least __but he livedd a good two hours away. He knew, increasingly well, that no one would be able to hear his screams…_

_And then the icy needle made its first contact with perfectly unblemished skin…_

The blond shook the memory away, realizing that he had cloudy tears coating his eyes. His arms trembled and Naruto doubted he had the ability to form a perfect sentence without his voice cracking right now. Sighing, Naruto turned on the faucet and splashed some warm water over his face.

"It was just a memory, Naruto. It was only a memory. Only a…" his eyes landed on his stomach and all his confidence just dropped. Disappeared. Evaporated. His heart constricted painfully in his chest and his feet refused to move. But Naruto was tired of being scared. Tired of being chained down by what happened. He had moved on, right? Hadn't that whole year of separation from that fiery mass of destruction buried things once and for all? Kyuubi should _not_ have this much of a hold on him anymore.

The bathroom door opened, but Naruto didn't notice anyone entering until he felt a pair of arms slink around his waist and pull him close to a body he knew so well. For a minute—a very brief split second—Naruto thought it was _Kyuubi_ holding him.

"You woke up without me," Sasuke pouted though he knew Naruto couldn't see it. Naruto hadn't replied yet so Sasuke playfully poked his blond in the side—one of Naruto's various sensitive spots—and still got nothing. _'Okay… something's up.' _"Naruto what's wrong?"

Naruto refused to look at himself in the mirror. All he would see is a scared little boy afraid to move on. Instead he mustered up the biggest smile he could and whirled around in Sasuke's arms, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck in the process. "Absolutely nothing whatsoever! I just had a terrible dream about the world never knowing the deliciousness called Nutella!"

Onyx eyes looked highly skeptical as they bored into blinking and seemingly innocent blue eyes. He doubted—oh how he doubted—but Naruto was a person who would adamantly defend that they were all right on outside when they were crumbling brick by brick on the inside. So he simply smirked and pecked Naruto on the cheek.

"What a living Hell that would be."

"Wouldn't it? I don't know how I'd survive without God's gift to the world!"

"Oh, I'm sure you'd find _something_ else that's up to par with Nutella."

Naruto scoffed and childishly pushed Sasuke on the shoulder. "That's crazy talk you're spewing! What in the world could be better than Nutella?"

Sasuke answered by pressing his lips against Naruto's. "Me," he answered with that smirk that could send Naruto's knees to jelly.

"Okay. Yeah. You win." Naruto was such a sucker for a few kisses. They shared more kisses under the bathroom light, and Naruto could feel the creepy tendrils of a terrible past slipping away inch by inch from the brightness and warmth Sasuke created within him. His stomach still twisted and turned a little, but his shakiness had finally disappeared.

"If we stand here and kiss all day we'll miss breakfast," Sasuke said.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! Iruka's making pancakes today!" he tugged Sasuke by the hand and pulled him out the bathroom for the kitchen. "He makes the most delicious batch of chocolate chip pancakes _ever_!"

Sasuke chuckled softly. He really enjoyed watching Naruto's childish side come out to play—he was absolutely adorable. "I've noticed you have a strange addiction to anything chocolaty."

"You would be right," Naruto and Sasuke entered the kitchen by then. Iruka was busy at work making his famous chocolate chip pancakes and nodded a decent hello before getting back to work. Naruto started to set the table for breakfast then sat down when the naked table was finally clothed. "But I don't like chocolate milk or chocolate ice cream to be honest."

The raven cocked an amused eyebrow, "How can you like chocolate but not like chocolate ice cream or chocolate milk?"

Naruto shrugged and poured himself a glass of milk. "Dunno. They just taste… artificial to me. Nothing compares to the real thing. Milk?" he held out the carton.

For the second time today, Sasuke found himself staring into Naruto's bright blue eyes. He was searching for something—graying lines that would reveal the weaker side of his blond. He couldn't fathom _why_ he needed to find such evidence that Naruto wasn't as okay as he proclaimed to be, and then the scene in the bathroom flashed through his mind again and it made Sasuke want to find that reason even more.

For a brief second, he thought he finally found what he was looking for. And then it was gone and the carton of milk was once again shoved in his face.

"Helllooo! Earth to Sasuke! You there?" Naruto frowned and poked Sasuke in the face with the tip of the milk carton. "If you didn't want milk just tell me! Spacing out is not polite!"

Sasuke scowled and lightly smacked the milk carton away from his face. "I'll take coffee. And I need to ask you—"

"Naruto! I need to know when you plan on going back to school," Iruka walked in—interrupting Sasuke—and set two steaming plates of towering pancakes in front of both boys before sitting down at the table with a steaming plate for himself.

"Awww," Naruto stabbed a pancake with his fork, "couldn't I stay home forever? The couch can be my desk and the TV can be my teacher! And, and, my education would be free!"

"Your education is already free." Iruka raised an eyebrow.

"Well it'll be even freer."

"You're going to school Monday, then." Naruto whined but by then Iruka was too immersed in his morning read (he liked to read a novel every morning rather than the newspaper because he thought it better stimulated his mind) and lost in the world of magical creatures and heroic individuals.

Blue eyes turned towards a certain raven in hopes that maybe, just maybe, he could help. Sasuke took a small sip of his coffee, sighed, and gave Naruto "the look". "Might as well go to school. Kiba's been bitching about not having his favorite blond around and Gaara is acting more unapproachable now that you're gone."

Something inside Naruto's heart burst a little knowing that his friends missed him that much. "Awww, all right! I'll go! But only because I know how annoying it is to listen to Kiba whine like a dog."

Sasuke grimaced, fully aware of Kiba's annoying attributes. "How in the world does he get his voice up that high?"

Naruto shook his head in wonder and scarfed down another pancake. "Dude, I don't even know. Gaara thinks he was fixed or something… I honestly think he's a girl trapped in a boy's body."

+I Promise+

First day back at school and Naruto _refused _to unlink his hand from Sasuke's no matter what. They were inseparable all the way to Naruto's locker where he was met with the soccer team, Gaara, and even Sakura and Ino (though he doubted they knew why he wasn't here for a full week).

"Oh my God…" Naruto stopped when he saw humongous smiles erupt on everyone's faces. "They're gonna kill us! Every man for himself!" he would have broken out into a run too if Sasuke hadn't rooted him to the spot and allowed Deidara and Suigetsu to tackle him onto the floor.

"You freaking son of a bitch!" Suigetsu wailed. "Who said you could leave school for a week and _not _tell anyone about it, huh?"

"To make matters we had to hear it from someone else!" Deidara added in.

"Missed you too, guys," Naruto somehow managed to choke out under the crushing weight of both Deidara and Suigetsu. His hand was still connected with Sasuke's—how in the world that happened he didn't know—and he looked up into the face of a very bemused raven. "Mind getting these guys off me?"

"And risk losing a body part?" Sasuke seemed to mull over this for a while before shrugging. "I'd rather not."

"Teme!"

"Hey! Leave some hugging room for us," Sakura placed her hands on her lips and tried her best to look cross—she was failing miserably.

"Bitch calm your tits," Suigetsu snapped back. "This was supposed to be a private meeting between brethren! How dare you come in and taint our meeting?"

Ino rolled her eyes, walked over to Suigetsu and pulled him off Naruto's legs. Then he did the same for Deidara and helped the fallen blond up. "Men these days," she muttered, "absolutely no respect for women at all!" with a softer, brighter smile Ino said, "Glad to see you're back, Naruto! I missed your obnoxious personality in class."

'_Didn't even know she noticed me…' _Granted anyone would notice the obnoxious kid but Naruto was oblivious to such key facts and simply nodded along. "Thanks, Ino." His eyes connected with brilliant green eyes—the ones he used to fawn over from afar. Now, when he stared into them, his heart no longer threatened to rip out of his chest. There was no rush of adrenaline, no fantasies of intimate touches and kisses. He felt pretty mellow.

And he loved it.

"Hey, Sakura," Naruto smiled.

Sakura looked a little uneasy for a few seconds, but seeing Naruto smile seemed to calm her down. She smiled back, "Hey, Naruto. Welcome back, we really missed you."

"Thanks, Sakura." And he meant it. After that, Kiba and Gaara took their turns humiliating Naruto to his grave and the rest of the soccer team took their chances glomping the rainbow out of Naruto. By and by, it was a wonderful reunion.

"Seriously guys," Sasuke was leering at his brother who was taking _extra _time to hug his boyfriend (they had to limit it to one minute per person) than necessary, "you act like Naruto was sent off to war or something. And Aniki… if your hands get _any _lower you'll find yourself _without _a pair of hands."

Itachi chuckled and lifted his hands up in an "I surrender" sort of pose. "I assure you, my hands had no intention of fondling your boyfriend's ass." The look Sasuke was giving him clearly showed he didn't believe Itachi one bit. Itachi brushed his little brother off and turned his attention back to Naruto. "I do hope you know you'll have to work extra hard during practice. No slacking off. We have a big tournament coming up in the next few days and we need all our players at the peak and beyond their physical capabilities."

'_Awww crap,' _Naruto could speak Itachi Leader Mode fluently. What Itachi _really _meant was that he'll be having Naruto run, practice dribbling and shooting, work on conditioning, among other things, until Naruto's legs fell off. Just thinking about practice later today made his legs throb.

Hidan placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder and wagged his finger warningly, "Hey now, Naruto has special reasons for skipping out! Don't be a Nazi, Weasel-san. Besides, if we overwork him too much he won't have any energy left for our big surprise!"

"Big surprise?" was it weird that Naruto's stomach happened to twist into knots at the mention of those words?

It didn't help that everyone's faces—minus Sakura and Ino's—had curled up like the Cheshire Cat.

"Oh, you'll just have to wait till after soccer practice," Kiba sang.

"You're gonna love it!" Suigetsu beamed.

Naruto didn't have a chance to question them further on their cryptic responses because the bell finally rang and they all had to split up in different directions. _'I guess I'll have to wait until later. Though knowing those guys it'll probably be something really sexual or… embarrassing.' _Really, sexual and embarrassing were one in the same when dealing with these people.

The couple lingered back a while, watching a few straggling students either dawdle or dash for their first period class.

"You know something about this surprise?" Naruto asked, rubbing his fingers along the ridges and bumps of Sasuke's knuckles.

"Hn," Sasuke hummed.

"Any chance you'll tell me?"

"Not a chance," Sasuke smirked and kissed Naruto soundly on the lips. "Now get to class. I won't be responsible if Jiraiya-sensei gives you detention for being late."

"Oh shit! Damn you Sasuke and your really sweet kisses that you give me! Damn you!" Naruto landed a sloppy kiss on Sasuke's cheek before dashing off to English.

Sasuke leisurely walked to his first period, a dopey smile on his face. It was good to see Naruto so alive and full of energy again. Surely it was a sign of better things to come… right?

+I Promise: Surprise+

"What's with the boxing gloves?" Naruto eyed the bright orange boxing gloves dropped on his duffle bag with suspicion before cautiously picking them up by the string.

Deidara was wearing the mightiest smirk around while he explained to Naruto what the big deal was. "You see, we heard about your little situation and we thought some self-defense would work wonders! That's why we'll be teaching you boxing."

"Well, it'll actually be Juugo teaching you boxing and Pein will help you with some other self-defense techniques," Itachi added.

Naruto stared down at the bright orange boxing gloves, fingering the little lines embedded into the leather with awe. They would seriously go out of their way just for him? The blond smiled, "I honestly don't know what I did to deserve such great friends."

"Easy," Kiba grinned wildly and slug an arm around Naruto's shoulders, "your everybody's little ball of sunshine." He said, ruffling Naruto's spiky blonde locks.

"Also, you're everyone's imaginary fuck toy." Deidara wiggled in there. It was important to share that, you know?

"Hm, congrats Deidara you just earned first rights to be my human punching bag," Naruto winked. And Deidara slightly paled with the realization that he may have unleashed a monster unto the world… all for a good cause.

+I Promise: One Week Later+

Naruto slipped out of his soccer cleats and put on his sneakers. Ripping off his smelly shin guards, he chucked them into his duffle bag and grabbed his worn in boxing gloves. Even after a week they still looked brand new with the exception of a few scratches or marks here and there. The first time he fit on his gloves they felt awkward and huge on him, now they had become an extension of his body and the progress they were making with his training was great!

"I don't think I've ever seen Pein or Juugo talk as much as they do during training than outside the gym," Naruto thought absentmindedly as he threw his boxing gloves over his shoulder, tugged up his duffle bag, and descended up the stairs, out the door, and into the open.

Brisk air brushed and tickled his hair as Naruto stopped to zipper up his hoodie. He was halfway too the gym (it was on the other side of the school) when he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle engine grinding to a stop…

"Ay there."

Two words. Two, simple, words had the ability to glue Naruto to the spot. Just like that.

Naruto locked eyes with his crimson past. Today, Kyuubi was dressed as a normal human being and not choked up on all leather. A simple blue Henley, black skinny jeans, and leather boots were his attire. He even had his long mane tied up in a ponytail that rested on his shoulders. To be honest, Naruto didn't know what was scarier: Kyuubi in normal people clothing, or Kyuubi in all leather. Both aspects made Kyuubi even more unpredictable.

"Happy to see me? Yah sure do stiffen up a lot, Kit."

"Will you stop following me already?" Naruto narrowed his blue eyes at the man who lazily picked up a piece of red hair from his shoulder and let it drop to the ground. "I swear, you're social life must be in trouble of collapsing if your only hobby is following a teenager around."

"Yer so cute when you get lippy," Kyuubi cooed slyly. Naruto harrumphed and seeing how funny he looked made Kyuubi chuckle and slide up further on his seat. "Yah should already know why I'm here. Yer not that stupid, are ya?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Naruto was surprised at how stable and strong his voice sounded. He had no idea where all this confidence was coming from, but he couldn't say he was complaining about it one bit.

The redhead stared at him long and hard, clucked his tongue, and pulled out a spare motorcycle helmet. He threw the helmet at Naruto and it fell on the ground by the blond's feet. "I already planned the date! Don't waste it by being a little bitch."

"What in the world makes you think I'll go on a ride with _you_?"

Kyuubi shrugged and kicked his motorcycle to life. "Dunno. Maybe because I have something to tell yah about yer mother and if yah don't come with me… well, let's just say regrets are a pain to deal with."

'_Something about my mother?' _Now Naruto knew every trick in the book on how pedophiles try to pick up children. Offer them candy. Intimidation tactics and simply using force worked. And sometimes they'd act like a family friend. Every warning signal in his mind was warning him that this was a _bad _move. But this was his _mother_. And yeah, she abandoned him but she was still his mother!

The woman carried him for nine months—that was a sign of undying love no matter how you looked at it.

Fighting against his better judgment, Naruto bent down and picked up the motorcycle helmet. He shoved his boxing gloves in his duffle bag, threw on the helmet, and climbed onto the back of Kyuubi's motorcycle.

"No funny business," Naruto warned. "I have the cops on speed dial."

Kyuubi chortled and slowly started to drive around the parking lot back towards the exit. "Ya shouldn't make threats if you can't carry them out. They're like promises. If ya can't do them, don't make them."

Naruto glared ice daggers at the redhead's back as they approached the exit. When Kyuubi started getting philosophical it meant _business_ and Naruto really started to wonder if this whole ordeal was over his mother and not Kyuubi's sick attraction with him.

"Hm, wise words. I also remember hearing something along the lines that if someone is not interested in you, you should move on."

Kyuubi threw a glance over his shoulder and for a split second Naruto thought he was going to get smacked. Instead Kyuubi laughed and said, "Ya get funnier by the day, Kit! Now hold on tight. I'm stupid and can't read the speed limits."

More like… he's rebellious and refuses to read the speed limits.

Faster than lightning they were tearing up the road. Naruto was sure he was screaming his lungs out by the frigid air and the roar of Kyuubi's engines. They were sailing down the somewhat empty highway, cities bleeding into trees that finally mixed in with the deep blues and greens and golden yellows of the ocean. How they got to the ocean so fast, and what the hell they were doing there eluded Naruto to no end.

"Here's our stop," Kyuubi cut the engine and climbed off his bike. He didn't look back to see if Naruto was following. Why verify what you already knew?

Naruto got off and the first thing that hit him was the salty sea air. Mind you, it was still freaking cold and Naruto regretted not bringing a thicker coat with him, but somehow seeing the ocean made him feel a whole lot calmer. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Kyuubi smirk. _'Cocky bastard.' _

"So you brought me all the way out here to talk to me about my mother?" they had descended onto the beach, sand squishing between Naruto's toes as he sat down to admire the waves lapping at the shore. Kyuubi was standing beside him with a lollipop in his mouth rather than his customary cigarette. This also struck Naruto was _abnormal_.

Kyuubi licked his cherry red lollipop a few times before popping it back into his mouth. "No. I actually brought ya out here because I didn't want your annoying bitch to jump out of nowhere." Red eyes sparkled in true delight seeing the fear clutch around Naruto like a suit of armor. "Don't pee yerself, there. I ain't gonna do anything. Just wanted to talk."

"Before or after you rape me?"

"If ya wanna get fucked so badly…" Kyuubi purred.

"No!" Naruto jumped back a good foot and a half. His arms were clutched around his stomach. Shivers rocked through his entire body.

Now, if this were anybody else showing such signs of weakness Kyuubi would have gladly crushed their skull with the heel of his boot. But this was Naruto. And Naruto was special. Oh how he was so, so very special.

"Come on now. I was just joking. See?" he pointed to his crotch, "Totally tamed. Not even popped."

Naruto blinked three times before shaking his head wildly at how painfully blunt Kyuubi could be. "Okay… I really didn't need that. But if you aren't here to force yourself on me then what do you want. It couldn't be that important that you had to drag me _all _the way to the fucking ocean for this!"

"Ya ask a lot of questions, Kit."

"Don't call me that and answer me straight!"

Kyuubi leered and crossed the distance between himself and Naruto. He bent down to the blond's level and poked him on the forehead. "I don't think I told ya enough so let me say this one more time: Yer. Mine. What gives ya the right to move on to that skinny black-haired chick?"

"Sasuke's a _male_, just so you know!" Naruto seethed. His stomach twisted and his heart clenched. Kyuubi was way too close for comfort. "And secondly, you don't own me! If anything you just scare the shit out of me but I do not recall _once _ever agreeing to that!"

"Bitch's name is Sasuke, eh?" Kyuubi said, completely ignoring Naruto's rant if only to throw more spark to the flame. "I don't see why yer complaining. I marked ya. I said Id be back and look… ta da! I'm back."

Naruto growled and threw sand at Kyuubi's face. He was sick and tired of _always _having to run away from this guy's shadow. He was sick and tired of the fear of the unknown. He hated these invisible chains held down by the mark horribly inked to his body. He was just so… damn… tired.

Kyuubi spit out the sand in disgusting, staring at his now ruined lollipop with disappointment and chucking it out into the sea. He turned to look at Naruto with dead, red eyes. "Ya got a lot of fight."

"I'm tired, Kyuubi. I'm tired of you thinking you own me when you don't! Why do you want me so bad, huh? Huh? Can't you just be happy for me! We were never like this…" by now Naruto's frustration had escaped in tears streaming down his face and his words were getting all jumbled up. "We used to be happy, you know? I fucking looked _up _to you as a second father despite all your gang shit because you were a great guy! And then… then you had to touch me and everything just down spiraled from there!"

Heavy breathing floated through the air. Naruto's words spilled out and toppled to the ground and left large imprints on the sand. The whole time their eyes were locked. Red and blue clashed together calmly but also violently at the same time. Naruto didn't know if he got through to Kyuubi or not. He was faced with steely red eyes that could flicker from happy to derange to down right furious in a second. One thing he knew was that he didn't regret one word that flew from his mouth. He meant every single syllable.

Finally, the hourglass flipped and Kyuubi spoke. "Does he love you?"

Proper English; it threw Naruto more off balance than the actual question did. "Who?" he asked generally confused.

"Bit—Sasuke."

"Oh…" Naruto thought the answer would take forever to find him. But the right answer was floating through his mind swirling and swirling brightly because he knew… He just knew. The words were never said. But he knew. With a huge smile, Naruto stared back at the ocean waves, watching the sun make love with the sea. "Yeah… he does."

Kyuubi snorted but said nothing more. The sound of waves lapping the shore and distant seagulls engulfed the silence between the two. Bored with the turn of events, Kyuubi stretched out his tired joints and yawned. "I'm not too big on feelings and shit but about the tattoo…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What about it?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Are you an idiot?"

"Answer the fucking question."

"Yes, it hurt. Why are you asking this now?"

"Yer mom and I fought a lot then. I guess I was stressed. Wasn't really thinking properly… Had a fetish for needless then…"

It was like Kyuubi was grasping for straws that were entirely out of his reach. Naruto watched with hidden amusement as the older man scratched at his flawless chin in hopes that maybe, just maybe the words would come out then.

"You're really something else… but I'll forgive you." Naruto said with a cheeky smirk.

Kyuubi was flabbergasted and scoffed several times. "What the hell makes ya think I was trying to say sorry?"

"Ah, you forget we've lived under the same roof for five years."

"Well I wasn't apologizing."

"That's fine. I'll still take it as an apology. Forget and move on, you know?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow of his own, "Funny. Just a couple of weeks ago ya were scared stiff by me. Now we're holding a conversation?"

"A couple of weeks ago I was still caught up. Now… I don't know. I don't want to go through life fearing you."

"Damn," Kyuubi ran a hand through his messy locks. "I get _so _turned on seeing you scared…"

Naruto shot Kyuubi a look. Kyuubi shot him a waggle of the eyebrows. They both cracked awkward grins. It was weird… the tension between them had disappeared so suddenly it still amazed Naruto how he hadn't flipped out, peed his pants, done _something _remotely close to his actions a few weeks ago. He was calm and confident. Maybe those boxing lessons were paying off after all?

The blond got up from the sand, brushed off his butt, and stretched. "It's fucking cold out here and I'm getting tired. Can we head back now?"

"I dunno. I thought we could lay naked out under the stars," Kyuubi never knew when to quit. Even when Naruto gave him another look Kyuubi simply shrugged and trudged back to the motorcycle. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"You really need a hobby," Naruto stated as he sat on the bike and wrapped his arms loosely Kyuubi's waist.

"Haven't we been through this already? Yer my hobby, Kit."

The roar of the motorcycle, and the furious whipping of the chilly wind around them drowned his words out.

+I Promise+

When they arrived back to the school the sky had already started to mix into night colors of blacks and purples and hazy grays and blues. Naruto shivered pulling off his helmet, feeling a very nasty cold claw at him as he hopped off the bike and stepped onto solid ground.

"Can you _please _pay better attention to the speed limits and warning signs this time?" Naruto pleaded. "You nearly got us killed!"

"Kyuubi stops for no sign, Kit." Kyuubi smirked and kicked his engine back into life. "Besides, yer alive right? No harm done."

"I'm pretty sure you killed my soul."

"Eh. Ya don't need one of those anyways." He looked off into the distance and a slow, sick smirk came onto his face. "Oh look… it's yer bitch."

Naruto whipped around to see Sasuke standing there underneath a street lamp. He was shivering from head to toe even though he was wrapped up to survive Siberia. Sasuke's onyx eyes dug sharp daggers into Naruto's heart and he instantly felt the guilt welling up in his stomach for not contacting Sasuke sooner.

"Don't call him that. He's already pissed enough." Naruto said.

"Oh no. I pissed off the bitch. Whatever will I do with myself?" Kyuubi drawled, leaning on his handlebars. Then a wicked idea came to his mind and he pulled Naruto by the collar and kissed him—long and hard. When they pulled back Sasuke was already there ready to tear out his lungs and throat and… really, any internal organ at the moment.

"That's it. I'm fucking killing you. Don't you _dare _touch, Naruto!" Sasuke leaned in for the punch but Naruto held him back. His eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in fury, and dulled down in confusion. "Naruto… what are you doing?"

"Saving you from making this a bigger deal than it already is." He could tell Sasuke wanted to say something else but he beat him to the punch. "Kyuubi and I talked. And… things are okay."

"You forgave him?"

Naruto nodded.

"Why?"

"Life isn't about holding on to grudges, Teme. I don't want to grow old, bitter, and living in fear for the rest of my life. Kyuubi has no hold over me anymore. I just gotta forgive and move on."

Sasuke didn't know whether to be incredibly proud right now or insanely annoyed. He chose to be proud. He lowered his arm so he could wrap it around Naruto's waist (yes, he did like to place his status as alpha dog) and locked gazes with Kyuubi.

"He's mine." He shot out. Naruto's face turned cherry red and Kyuubi lazily smirked.

"I'll let ya borrow him for now. Kit's no fun unless he's freaking out." He chuckled and got ready to drive off again he something hit him. "Oh yeah! Kit. I really did want to tell ya bout yer mother though."

"Really?" Naruto asked. "What about her?"

"We're back together," he answered simply.

"W-What?" Naruto sputtered, his blue eyes popping out of his head. "Then what the _fuck _was all this torment and shit for anyways?"

Kyuubi shrugged. "Dunno. Was bored and wanted more taste of my blond before strapping myself into the committed seat. Don't worry, I'll send ya the wedding invites." He threw up a hand wave and soared down the road yelling, "Peace!"

Kyuubi… was truly something else.

"I can't believe him! All this fucking time he got back with Mom and he—" his rant was cut off by the feeling of Sasuke's lips on his own. He moaned, giving Sasuke the perfect opportunity to slip his tongue in. Their tongues touched, sending electricity up their spines. Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and brought their bodies closer and their little duel for dominance continued under the stars. When they pulled back for air, Sasuke hugged Naruto so tightly the blond was afraid he'd break.

"I hate seeing you with him," Sasuke admitted. The cold air chilled them both but their body heat made everything seem so much better. "I hate seeing him around you. I hate knowing he'll always be a part of your life somehow. You're mine…"

Naruto smiled softly, secretly enjoying Sasuke in such a vulnerable state. It made his earlier words exchanged with Kyuubi appears so much realer.

"_Does he love you?"_

"_Yeah… he does."_

"Trust me, I don't think Kyuubi will be coming back for me anymore. I'm all yours, Sasuke. Only yours and yours alone."

"Naruto…" their eyes locked, and Naruto could see the inner conflict flash briefly in Sasuke's onyx orbs. And then… the conflict disappeared and Sasuke smiled. "I love you."

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

Naruto nearly jumped Sasuke he was so happy. Their bodies lost their balance and the two tumbled to the hard, cold ground. But neither boy cared. They were too busy embracing their heated lip-lock to notice. Naruto must have kissed Sasuke a hundred times over because when they parted Sasuke's lips were all swollen and his face was flushed.

"Say it again." Naruto whispered.

"I love you."

"One more time," Naruto asked.

"I love you."

"… One more time now."

"Dobe," Sasuke chuckled and raked his hands through Naruto's hair. "I love you. I love you. I love you." He whispered into the blond's ear before kissing him soundly again. In his pocket laid a flowery mess of red. It was sitting there in the cold, possibly experiencing the worst crushing of its life, but Sasuke left it there for a while. He could give it to Naruto later. Right now all that mattered was how deliciously sweet it felt to kiss his blond on the cold ground covered by night.

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><p>Opinions? Yes? No? :D Next chapter I PROMISE we'll have some smut. I'm sorry you had to wait so long for that. Somehow I always manage to put smut near the END of a fic rather than the middle v.v Maybe it refers back to my personality? (NO WORRIES I'M A VIRGIN) but like... I feel like you don't have to rush it, you know? When it happens it happens :D!<p>

Anywho! See you guys next time! Bring tissue boxes and another pair of pants (;

BABY PANDAS WOOT WOOT!


	19. Sweaty Connections

Gaaah! We're past 400 reviews c: Guys! You're beautiful! Thank you for supporting me and showing me love and critiscism and honest to goodness feedback over this past month? Two months? Damn time flies when you're writing a fanfiction (: I'm definitely ending this story with 20 chapters. And I'll start working on chapter 20 as soon as possible but I need to find some ideas on what EXACTLY should happen. I konw what ending to go with I just need something to flow together with that... Ugh, hopefully I can find something not so cliche and cheesy? c:

**Warning: Honestly, nothing happens except for sex. THIS IS WHERE THE RATED M COMES IN. I pray my lemon is okay... T^T **

**Disclaimer: Dear Disclaimer, I hate you for making me admit my worst nightmare. **

I love you all! Enjoy your SasuNaru smut 8D

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><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: Sweaty Connections<strong>

"Wait, wait, wait," Kiba rose his hands in the air to pause Naruto's fiery rant in its tracks, "you're trying to tell us that Kyuubi put you for _three _weeks of hell _just _because he was bored?"

After Kyuubi's blunt and crazy confession, followed by Sasuke's heart-filled and warm confession, Naruto decided it was time to round up his two best friends and tell them all about how much Life loved to screw with him. They all decided to meet up back at Naruto's apartment and holed themselves up in the living room once everyone was there.

"Yes!" Naruto screamed and dropped his head on Sasuke's shoulder. The ridiculous nature of it all was sending a pounding ache through out his skull. Thankfully he had Sasuke there to cuddle with him and keep him at least somewhat tied down to sanity.

"And he's back with your mother?" Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow. When Naruto mumbled a tired and strained "Yeees" again, Gaara scoffed. "That's pretty funny."

"Like hell it is!" Naruto threw Gaara a glare but it was easily deflected. "The man just pops into my life one day. Throws all this shit in my face. Then he has the balls to walk out saying: 'Oh yeah, this was all some big joke because I was _bored_.' Bored! Madness!"

"Alright, Dobe." Sasuke smoothed back Naruto's hair and pressed a small kiss on Naruto's forehead. "We get it. Kyuubi's a sick bastard. At least he's gone and we won't have to worry about him."

Kiba nodded and popped his tenth Pocky stick into his mouth. Today they were Strawberry-flavored! "It's a damn shame you couldn't put your boxing skills to good use. You know, show Kyuubi that killer right hook—POW! And that sick upper jab—KAPOW!" with each crazy sound effect came swift punches and intricate jabs that landed Kiba right on his ass when Gaara kicked him off balance.

"We don't need the annoying noises, thank you."

"And Kiba gets his ass handed to him—WOW!" Naruto chuckled at his own little joke.

Kiba didn't find it that funny, however, and rubbed at his abused butt. "You guys are cruel! Abusers, the lot of you!"

"Whine to someone who cares," Gaara said with a roll of the eyes.

"I bet Suigetsu would take care of that aching butt for you," Naruto winked.

Kiba's rapid blush was enough to spark a whole new conversation between the four boys for the next thirty minutes. Apparently the two had a "thing" but didn't want to make it "official" until they really knew each other. Who would have thought Suigetsu was so sentimental?

"So have you guys fucked yet?" Sasuke asked randomly halfway through the conversation.

Kiba's eyebrows shot to his hairline and his eyes bulged out, threatening to topple out of their sockets. "The fuck, Uchiha?"

Sasuke shrugged, "It's a legit question."

"You guys _have _fucked, haven't you?" Naruto pointed his finger at his best friend and gasped as if Kiba just walked up and told him he murdered and old lady. "And you don't even tell your best friends? That's it. Prepare to be deleted off of every social networking site I have you added on."

The brunet sputtered something incoherent, threw a pillow at Naruto, and flipped him the bird. "I haven'tfucked Suigetsu, FYI! And if anyone is getting laid here it's gotta be you and Uchiha."

Naruto tore the pillow from his face and chucked it to the floor. His face was bright red and his mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water. Sasuke looked more amused than anything else, like he was just waiting to say something dirty to further escalate the conversation. But Naruto slapped his hand over Sasuke's mouth before anything terribly embarrassing was said.

"No! No, no, no… No! Sasuke and I have not had sex yet. Kay? Kay."

Gaara smirked, rather amused with these turn of events as well. "So you two have been thinking about it doing it, then?"

Sasuke pulled Naruto's hand away from his face long enough to say, "Oh yes. Naruto has been calling me every night to describe, in detail, various wet dreams he's had involving yours truly."

If the huge hole just opened up to suck everything in sight, Naruto would have been the first one to jump right in.

"Gaaah!" Naruto threw his hands in the air and tugged at his hair. "You guys are impossible!"

"Ha! Now you know how I feel." Kiba said.

"Oh, don't think you're out of the clear yet, Kiba. We've only hit the tip of the iceberg with your situation." The grin Gaara was sporting could send a hardened criminal in spasms of fear and a pair of soiled pants… Needless to say, the night ended with two innocent boys getting heavily scarred.

+I Promise: Deeper Than It Seems+

Somehow, as the end of the school year was rapidly approaching, Sasuke and Naruto couldn't keep their hands off each other. Sasuke would have his arms around Naruto's waist one minute and then his hand would just casually drop onto the blond's lip. A few minutes later and the same hand was massaging Naruto's thigh over… and over…

Naruto bit back a moan as Sasuke's fingers "accidently" brushed his crotch. The slight touch sent a jolt of lightning up his spine that made his back arch a little bit. Nowadays their touches had become a lot bolder and that's probably thanks to Kyuubi's disappearance. He was no longer an overbearing shoulder looming over Naruto's shoulder. Naruto had moved on, the past was brushed away by the winds of time, and he was ready to take the next step.

The two were cuddled up on the couch enjoying their weekly Friday night date that consisted of curling up on the couch and watching old Disney movies. Naruto sat in-between Sasuke's legs, comfortably resting his head on Sasuke's chest. As mentioned before, Sasuke seemed to be in a really touch-feely mood tonight. His hands were roaming all over Naruto. Along his stomach, up his chest, over his thighs—it was taking all of Naruto's willpower not to melt into a pile of goo.

"Hey," Naruto sighed breathlessly as Sasuke peppered kisses along the back of his neck, "you're really forward tonight."

"I really want you tonight," was Sasuke's reply.

A steady blush took over Naruto's face. Sasuke cupped his cheek and gently coaxed him to meet him eye-to-eye. "Is this…? Are we going to go far?" it seemed like a stupid question but for the two of them it meant that finally some ice was going to break.

"Only if you want to."

"… I want to."

Sasuke didn't waste any more time. He grabbed Naruto by the hand and pulled him towards the bedroom. Iruka yelled at them for making too much noise on a Friday night. They were too wrapped up in each other to notice, though. Once the door to Naruto's room was locked behind him, their lips met. It was a hot and needy filled kiss.

Sasuke's tongue mapped out the entire expanse of Naruto's tongue. Tongues touched. Moans were swallowed and gobbled down. Teeth gnashed and pulled on bottom lips or naughty tongues. Somehow they landed on the bed, Sasuke on top of Naruto, where their lips finally pulled apart for air.

"You're blushing," Sasuke smirked.

Naruto smirked right back, "So are you."

One way or another the two had become shirtless, giving Sasuke a whole new territory to map out and claim. His kisses started from the top of Naruto's neck all the way down to the collarbone. Nip after nip, kiss after kiss, left a trail of fire that sent Naruto mewling and whimpering for more. But Sasuke could be such a tease… He gave an exceptionally hard bite on Naruto's shoulder and smirked at the sharp intake of air he earned. When he pulled back to admire his work, a nicely sized mark proudly stared back at him.

"There. Now everyone will know who you belong to." It seemed that Sasuke had a very dormant protective side that came out once Kyuubi stalked onto the scene. Not that Naruto could complain about that, though. He found it rather endearing and one hell of a turn on…

"That's no fair," Naruto pouted and lifted himself up by wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck. He buried his face into the crook and inhaled his raven's wonderful scent, "You need a mark, too." Warm lips found their way to burning skin and kissed it softly. Soft kisses turned into hard sucks and tickling nips until Naruto had Sasuke fighting to hold in his moans and whimpers. Naruto finally pulled back with a smirk, "Looks nice."

"Fucking tease," Sasuke hissed and pushed Naruto back on the bed. His lips descended on Naruto once again. This time trailing lower and lower… He attached Naruto's dusky, pert nipples with a passion, sucking and twirling the nub around with his tongue before biting down on it hard. Naruto's back arched up on the bed. A low moan tumbled from his lips as he fisted his hand in Sasuke's hair.

Who knew he would enjoy having his nipples played with so much?

Sasuke switched to the other abandoned nub and gave it the very same treatment. The whole time Naruto was growing harder and harder, bucking his hips upward to mesh with Sasuke. His moans came out incoherently and dirty, begging for more. And Sasuke would definitely give him more.

From his nipples, Sasuke traveled down Naruto's stomach. His tongue followed the intricate swirl around Naruto's belly button over and over again until he reached the end. Then he reached Naruto's pants. Onyx eyes flicked up to meet with blue eyes, silently asking if it was safe to continue.

Naruto nodded. "Please," he whimpered, "I need you."

_I need you._

Naruto's boxers hit the floor faster than you could blink. Sasuke licked his lips in anticipation, eyes hungrily staring at the massive tent pitched in Naruto's blue boxers. He massaged Naruto teasingly with his palm, and then dragged his index finger up and down the hard length. The blond was a withering mess of whimpers and begs to stop being such a tease and to get on with it already.

"But this is our first time," Sasuke added in a pinch of whining into his voice, just to mess with Naruto even more.

Naruto glared with half-lidded, lust filled eyes. "If you don't grab my cock I will rip off your dick and feed it to a rabid dog."

"That's hot."

"Sasuke—Ahhh!" Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head as Sasuke gripped his cock head on. His boxers were pulled down to his knees and he was completely exposed. Sasuke's strokes were long, slow, and torturous, staring from the tip of Naruto's cock all the way down to the base. Naruto's hips thrust in time to Sasuke's strokes, hoping that the drift would be caught on how much he wanted the tempo to pick up. Sasuke smirked at how wanton his love could be. So needy, and moan-filled, and breathless—it made his cock twitch thinking about how Naruto would sound when he finally buried himself inside that delicious looking hole…

"Ahhh… ahhh…y-yes… faster!" Naruto panted. His head twisted from side to side, fingers digging into the blanket making his knuckles turn white. Sasuke's pace quickened, and Naruto felt his stomach tighten and his heart threaten to explode. "P-Please… about to…" and suddenly it all stopped. "Wha…?" Naruto lazily cracked open his eyes to watch Sasuke slip off the bed and search for something in his forgotten pants pocket. If Naruto's mind was in any shape to think rationally, it might have been processing why Sasuke stopped such a wonderful hand job. The answer appeared before him in a small bottle of lube.

"I want us to come together," Sasuke stated simply as he flipped open the cap and poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He wiggled them curiously, watching the cool liquid snap and drip from his digits. Leaning forward, Sasuke pressed a butterfly's kiss on Naruto's lips while he gently spread apart his love's legs. "This is going to hurt, but I'll be as gentle as I can. Any screams you make I'll promise to swallow them whole," he added with a smirk.

Naruto nodded, flinging all his trust on Sasuke's shoulders, and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I'll kick you off this bed without any sex if you go back on your promise."

Sasuke chuckled and experimentally rubbed his finger around the tight, puckered muscle he'd be penetrating. Such simple touching made Naruto whimper in need. And then, the first digit entered. As Sasuke promised, he engulfed every scream and cry that Naruto made with his kisses. The sensation burned all up Naruto's spine, causing him to arch his back. In and out, the finger prodded until finally the burning feeling subsided and Naruto was moaning softly at squirming at the sensation.

Another finger was added in, turning prodding into scissoring. Sasuke tugged on Naruto's bottom lip, desire burning wildly in his eyes. "Let's find your sweet spot," he whispered huskily. He dug his fingers deep, moaning as Naruto's hips bucked up and brushed against his groin.

Two seconds later he hit that right spot that made Naruto's jaw drop, eyes roll back, and a moan rip forcibly from his throat. "Fuuuuuuck!" he groaned and bucked his hips. "Do that again." And Sasuke hit that spot continually, over and over again, feeling himself getting pushed to the brink watching Naruto lose control underneath him. He added a third finger and continued hitting that same spot before he pulled out.

Naruto whimpered at the lost of contact.

Sasuke smiled softly and brushed back a few golden hairs from Naruto's beautiful blue eyes, "Ready for this?"

Blue and onyx clashed again and something passed between them… Naruto smiled shakily and nodded, "Of course. But first take off your pants." It wasn't fair that Naruto was the only one in his birthday suit and Sasuke was still rocking it in his pants.

The pants and boxers fell to the floor instantly. Their naked bodies brushed together in ways that made both boys choke out moans. It was a whole new rush for them.

"Better?" Sasuke asked, leaning forward and positioning himself by Naruto's entrance.

"Much," Naruto replied. "Now enter me… I want to feel you deep inside of me."

Without much warning, Sasuke happily accepted Naruto's invitation and snapped his hips forward. Naruto was so, very _tight _that Sasuke nearly came there and then. His arms shook as the heat and pleasure coursed through his body. "Fuck," he moaned loudly, "Naruto… so tight."

Naruto's eyes were squeezed shut, crystal tears coating the corners of his eyes. The stinging sensation was overriding the pleasure right now, but he'd bear with it in the end.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked. Their foreheads were pressed together, breaths intermingling in the tiny space between them.

Naruto chewed on his lip and plainly said, "No."

Sasuke frowned, "Do you want me to stop?"

The blond looked at him and shook his head. "No… move. I want to feel good soon, so hurry up."

The frown turned into a smirk and soon enough Sasuke was pulling out until only the tip was left before snapping back in. Naruto's back arched high off the bed. "Ahhhhh!" he screamed, clawing at Sasuke's back. The pain shot and bounced all around as Sasuke's slow and steady thrusts hit him over and over again. However, the uncomfortable feeling of having Sasuke inside him diminished and transformed into something much more pleasurable. Whimpers turned into open mouth pants and Naruto's hips were meeting Sasuke thrust for thrust.

"Faster," Naruto moaned.

Sasuke picked up his pace, trying out different angles until he hit Naruto's sweet spot and made that boy _scream_. "God, you're so hot." He moaned, thrusting in and out at a maddening pace. Each and every hit struck Naruto's prostrate head on and made the blond see stars. And the way Sasuke's stomach would rub up against Naruto's cock sent vivid shivers shatter his body.

"More… more! Ahhh… nnn…" the bedsprings squeaked and groaned in protest, but by now the boys were overtaken by wild abandon. Sasuke reached in-between their bodies and gripped Naruto's cock, stroking in time to their thrusts. It was all too much for Naruto. The stroking… the thrusting… the heat…

"C-C—!" Naruto's head flew back, his jaw went slack with the tiniest of smiles, and his eyes clenched shut as the orgasm crashed through out his body. His essence splattered all over Sasuke's hand and their stomachs. Naruto's inner walls clenched around Sasuke's cock, sending him over the edge as well. He moaned out Naruto's name as he continued thrusting, riding out his orgasm. Completely spent, he collapsed on top of Naruto's sweaty and heaving body.

Their pants mixed in the air. The room smelled like sex and love and sweat and erratic hearts. With the last bit of his strength, Sasuke managed to lean up to press a chaste kiss on Naruto's forehead, down to his nose, and finally a burning, lethargic, but love-filled kiss.

"That was so worth the wait," Sasuke whispered with a slow smile on his face. He hadn't pulled out yet, and honestly he didn't want to. Being inside of Naruto just felt so _right_ it would have been a crime to pull out now.

"It was… Ugh, you're kind of sweaty." Naruto scrunched his face up in fake disgust.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You're sweaty, too, Dobe."

"Yeah… but you're sweatier."

Just because he could, Sasuke rolled his hips into Naruto's tight hole and watched with amusement how quickly pleasure was written all over his love's face. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Naruto whimpered and lazily punched Sasuke on the shoulder. "Teme… that's not fair!"

"Oh really?" another roll of the hips and another throaty moan. "I think it's plenty fair," Sasuke's sadistic side was coming out to play…

"That's it," Naruto glared at the smirking boy above him, "you're sleeping on the floor tonight!"

Sasuke smirked even wider and licked Naruto's lips, "Only after round two…"

Round two actually turned into six rounds, but really, who's keeping count?

* * *

><p>Still sitting here, listening to SHINee, pondering ideas for chapter 20... if you guys have any inspiration or ideas I'd love to hear them! Maybe they can kick start something in my brain and get my fingers flyyyingg!<p>

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS FANFIC IS DONE IN ONE MORE CHAPTER. NO. NO. I LOVE THESE ROSES AND BABY PANDAS! -HOLDS ON AND NEVER LETS GO-


	20. The Thirteenth Promise Forever and Alway

Guys, GUYS! This is the end of our rose-filled journey and I must say... I am SO sad to see this go! It was a blast to write and all your love, support, and feedback, pointing out spelling/grammar mistakes that this silly author always misses (THANK YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!) has made me all the more willing to write and write this story (: WE SAVED SO MANY BABY PANDAS! I wonder how many of you are happy knowing you won't have to hear me saying that again (;? Anywho!** I hope you all check out my bottom A/N** because I all need your help with something c: Until then, enjoy the final installment of **A Bundle of Promises! **

**Warning: Fluff, slight-smut, crack-ish, jumps around, uhhhh... this also involves a wedding c: 50/50 guess of who it is! I did get some rather lovely ideas but I used my beautiful friend, Chaos' idea of a wedding c: She asked for children too, as did another lovely reviewer Mrs. Taiwolf, but that didn't seem to flow this chapter and where I wanted to take it... so I joked about the prospect instead (; You'll see!**

**Disclaimer: YES! KISHIMOTO HAS FINALLY GIVEN ME THE RIGHTS TO NARUTO! AKFALFASDLFJKAJF kidding. No such thing would happen to me v.v**

****Enjoy my beautiful readers! Enjoooooy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty: The Thirteenth Promise<strong>

**+Forever and Always+**

Naruto decided that the best way to truly wake up in the morning was beside the person you loved after a good night of lovemaking. He could still smell Sasuke's warm and comforting scent all around him and sighed, snuggling deeper into his raven's chest.

'_If I could live in my bed forever, I totally would.' _He thought blissfully as he drew little shapes and lines with his finger on Sasuke's chest. The raven was a deep sleeper—and obviously not a morning person—that was for sure. A whole list of naughty, perverted, and down right silly things he could get away with right now floated through his mind.

Deciding to act on such devilish pranks, Naruto snickered and leaned forward to grab his bright orange marker that was always kept on the top of his bed dresser.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke's eyes were still closed, but a small smile teased his lips.

Naruto whistled and casually searched blindly for his sharpie. "Ohhhh, nothing. Just a good morning stretch before I start my day."

Sasuke caught Naruto by the waist and pulled the blond on top. Their naked chests touched. Other, more intimate places, brushed together in a way that drew out gasps from both boys.

"I have a feeling you were in the midst of doing something stupid."

"Stupid? Oh no! Never!" Naruto scoffed. "I'm an angel."

"More like a little devil," Sasuke joked.

Naruto pouted and moved his hips slightly, enjoying the reaction he got from Sasuke though the raven's eyes remained close the whole time. "Why are your eyes still closed?" he didn't know why it bothered him so much. Maybe it was the fact that Naruto couldn't stare at those beautiful eyes he loved so much if they were closed.

"I'm Snow White," Sasuke answered simply. His hands were busy drawing small circles on the small of Naruto's back.

Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together. "Excuse me?"

"My eyes will only open if my true love kisses me," and just because he was feeling extra cheerful and satisfied from last night, Sasuke puckered his lips in anticipation.

Shaking his head, bubbles of laughter escaping, Naruto closed the short distance between them and kisses Sasuke soundly. When he pulled back he brushed a few midnight locks from Sasuke's face and smiled softly, "Wake up. I want to see your beautiful eyes."

Onyx eyes fluttered into the open. They shone with love and affection and adoration-the emotions were overwhelming. Sasuke tangled his fingers in Naruto's golden locks and brought him for another, passion filled kiss.

They share ten more kisses after that. Each kiss left Naruto and Sasuke breathless.

"If we don't stop soon we won't get any breakfast," Sasuke rubbed Naruto's back slowly, up and down, marveling how Naruto's back arched with every touch. Neither boy was making any real moves to get up until...

"Oh crap!" Naruto bolted straight up, nearly tumbling out of bed. "Breakfast, Iruka-I forgot about Iruka last night! He knows! He knooooows!" Naruto pulled at his hair ends. He just wanted to die from the embarrassment currently attacking his body.

Sasuke's reaction was a lot more nonchalant and controlled. "It's not that bad. You've walked in on Iruka and Kakashi numerous times and look, you're still alive."

"You don't understand! Iruka's not like other guardians! He can say things with a straight face that are meant to make someone feel as awkward as possible!"

"Oh he can't be that bad…"

Sasuke would be proved wrong—so, very, wrong.

+I Promise+

The two crept down the stairs very stealthily, afraid that once they entered the kitchen they'd be forth to face Iruka's parental wrath. To their surprise—and slight horror mixed with confusion—Iruka was sitting at the breakfast table calmly sipping a cup of coffee. Set on opposite sides of the table was two plates of bacon, omelets, and an orange slice. The scene was more intimidating than walking into a battlefield after everything was nuked.

"Naruto… Sasuke," Iruka said in-between sips. They stiffened like Iruka had just shot ice at their feet so escape was impossible. "Please… do have a seat." He gestured to the two chairs sitting on his left and on his right.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged worried glances, nodded in silent agreement, and sat down across from each other.

"Haha," the blond scratched the back of his head nervously. "Uh… morning, Iruka! You're up early today. Don't have to work?" Iruka's no nonsense glare he got immediately shut the blond up. Okay, so Iruka obviously wasn't in the mood for small talk. Naruto slowly shrank down in his seat…

Three, agonizing, seconds passed between the three before Iruka set his coffee mug on the table and gave Sasuke a hard gaze.

"So… you and Naruto had sex last night," he said it as casually as he would if he was stating they went out somewhere last night.

"See! I told you!" Naruto stood up from his chair and pointed at Sasuke. "He knows! He knows! We're going to have to elope now to Canada or something!"

Iruka slapped Naruto on the back of the head and ordered him to sit down. "I'm talking to Sasuke right now. You're interrogation comes later. Besides, of course I would find out." Iruka chuckled humorlessly, "Our walls aren't very thick and our rooms are right next to each other's."

The blond slammed his face against the table over and over again mentally screaming: _'I'm screwed. I'm screwed. I'm so screwed!' _He knew Iruka was going to make some huge deal out of losing his virginity and them have sex and all that jazz and make things unbearable awkward between the three of them. Naruto could see the look in his eyes—a man who loved to torture his little ward.

Sasuke seemed rather calm right now and casually leaned forward. "Yes, we did. And it was amazing, by the way."

Naruto's head shot up like a rocket. His face right now screamed: "Oh my goodness you did _not _just say that!"

The brunet raised an amused eyebrow, "Is that so?" he took a small sip of his coffee. "Condom?"

"Solo," Sasuke answered right on beat.

Naruto wanted to die. Or fall into a really deep hole. Or die _while _in that really deep hole.

"What if you have AIDS or a STD?"

"I'm perfectly clean, sir." Ooo… a sir—Sasuke was getting serious.

"Any proof?"

"I can have my doctor on the phone in three seconds." The raven was already holding his phone when Iruka reached out to stop him.

"That won't be necessary. However, I'd like to point out that if my son gets pregnant you're not allowed to skip town and run. You'll stay with him the whole nine yards, got it?"

And now Naruto was dead…

"Iruka!" The blond whined and threw a strip of bacon at his laughing father figure. "Why…? Why would you…? Are you serious? Is that even possible?" Naruto whipped his hand around to see Sasuke's wonderful, smirking face. "That's not possible, is it?" you couldn't be too sure with technology nowadays and all that jazz.

"It's a fun thought to try out…" Sasuke winked. The wink was the bullet that shot Naruto straight in the chest and had him howling at how unfair the world could be.

This time Naruto turned to Iruka who was looking too gleeful right now. "Shouldn't you be stopping him? Act like my guardian!"

Iruka sat down his coffee mug and gave Sasuke the "look" he gave Naruto when he meant business. "Sasuke… I give you my approval. Please take care of my little boy. I know you two will make wonderful parents someday."

"We're not having children!" Naruto defended. "I will have him _fixed _before that happens!"

"Adoptions always an option," Iruka sang.

Naruto sputtered and tore into his strip of bacon angrily. "Fucking pricks only do this just to get a freaking rise out of me… damn them all," he muttered under his breath.

"Language, Naruto. I raised you better."

Sasuke leaned back and raised his glass of coffee to his lips. "Don't be mad because you'll make a beautiful mother, Dobe."

"Fuck you, Uchiha!" Naruto snapped.

"Naruto!"

It was just another typical Saturday morning in the Uzumaki household.

+I Promise: Invitations with Declarations+

"What is this?"

"An envelope?"

"I know that but…" Naruto flipped the blood red envelop over and over again in his hands. After a very eventful breakfast—more teasing from Sasuke and Iruka about Naruto's future motherhood status—Naruto and Sasuke went around the block to pick up the mail on Iruka's orders and were now walking back hand in hand to the apartment.

Sasuke grimaced at the mysterious letter, "I hate the color red."

Naruto couldn't help but crack a grin. Sasuke was so cute when he was jealous. "Why? Because of a certain demented fox we all know and are somewhat afraid of?"

The raven narrowed his eyes, "No. Red's just an obnoxious color, like orange." He added with a smirk.

"Orange is an amazing color and you know it, Uchiha!"

"Sure, sure," he leaned in and pecked Naruto on the cheek, knowing that would be enough to sedate the blond before he went loco. "So are you going to open it now?"

Naruto stared at the red envelope long and hard. He had a feeling he knew who the sender was but he really wanted to be proved wrong at this point. "We're not even home yet."

"Doesn't matter. Either way we'll be opening up the letter and reading it. Difference is we'll know sooner rather than later and if it's some murder letter to Iruka we can be better prepared for a response."

The funny thing about Sasuke was that he could say such hilarious things with a straight face and not crack a smile once. Until, of course, Naruto started giggling like an idiot. Then his smile cracked through the surface and surrounded his entire face with an ethereal glow.

Naruto stood on his tiptoes and kissed Sasuke on the lips. "You should make jokes more often. You'd be a riot."

Sasuke smiled and pulled Naruto in for another kiss. "I'll pass. I already stun people alone with my looks, adding my humor on top of that and we'd have an epidemic on our hands."

"You're humble, too." Naruto stated dryly.

Sasuke simply smirked. "Open the letter now?"

"Alright, alright!" the raven was more impatient than a child on Christmas. Gingerly—Naruto tore open the flap and pulled out a pearl white invitation that read: YOU'RE INVITED TO THE CEREMONY BONDING TWO, WILD SPIRITS. At first, Naruto thought it was some crazy psycho cult wanting them to conform to their backwards ways but then his eyes traveled down forward and landed on two, very familiar names.

"Oh my God… Mom and Kyuubi?" Naruto stared shellshock at the letter, his hands trembling as he reread the names over and over again, and even looked at the picture of them hugging and… exchanging saliva. He knew they were back together, and Kyuubi had yelled something about sending invites to their wedding a while back but… he didn't think the man was _serious_!

"What?" Sasuke pulled the invite out of Naruto's hand and read it. His eyebrows shot to his hairline and he walked over to the closest trashcan. "Invite declined," and he would have thrown it away too if Naruto hadn't stopped him.

"Are you mad?" the blond yanked the invite out of Sasuke's hand, "You can't just throw this away! I need the number so I can call them."

"You don't have to be so polite about it. Just pretend like you never got the letter and we won't go."

"Sasuke… we're going," Naruto folded his arms across his chest and stared Sasuke dead in the eye. Yes, he could be cute when he was jealous but acting this childish was really getting on Naruto's nerves. "I know you're not very fond of Kyuubi and all, but this is my _mom_. We may not be close but we're still family."

"Have you forgotten what he put us through all those months ago?" Sasuke couldn't understand how Naruto could be this dense! Kyuubi put them through so much pain and turmoil and now they were going to go to his wedding? Did Naruto loose a few screws when he hadn't noticed, or what?

"No, of course not. But I've moved on. And so should you." He stuck out his hand, "Hand me your cell phone so we can RSVP, please?"

Sasuke glared at the hand for what seemed to be forever before finally looking into Naruto's eyes and saying… "No."

"… Excuse me?"

"I said 'No'."

"Stop being such a fucking child and hand me the phone, Uchiha!"

Sasuke smirked and started to take a few steps backwards, "Gotta catch me first, Dobe." And then he was off, sprinting the opposite direction from the house towards the park. Naruto was left to stand in his dust, confused and annoyed, before he jammed the invite in his back pocket and made a beeline for Sasuke.

"When I catch you, you are so dead!"

+I Promise+

Iruka looked up from his book, happily snuggled with Kakashi who had come over to spend the day, and raised an eyebrow. "I asked you two to get the mail. Why does it look like I sent you to a battlefield?"

The boys were covered from head to toe in mud, leaves, wet dew, and a few blades of grass. Naruto spit out a random piece of grass that was stuck to his tongue and held up his prize: Sasuke's cell phone.

"Oh, no reason. Sasuke wanted to embrace his inner child so I let him."

Sasuke muttered something ugly under his breath, snatched back his phone, and stormed up stairs.

Naruto grinned after Sasuke's retreating back, "Oops, looks like someone needs a little cheering up." He turned to Iruka and Kakashi with a satisfied smirk, "He gets this way when things don't go his way. What can you do?"

Once Naruto had disappeared up the stairs, Iruka and Kakashi exchanged glances.

"I will never understand the teenagers of today," Kakashi said.

Iruka focused his attention back on his book, "I learned to ignore them and, hopefully, they become another speck on the wall of Life."

Wise words, Iruka.

+I Promise: Tuxes with Bowties+

It was the middle of July by now. The summer sun scorched everything in sight, making some people refuse to leave their ice-cold bathtubs or air-conditioned rooms. Sadly, some people weren't so lucky and had to go out today to face the unbearable heat.

"Why are we going to this thing, again?" Suigetsu asked as Kiba adjusted his bow tie. "And why do I have to wear this tux? It's like, fucking 900 million degrees right now and I'm going to fry!"

"Oh stop your bitching and hold still," Kiba's tongue stuck out at the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on getting Suigetsu's bow just right… "And done! Finally straight."

"Aww, you guys are cute," Naruto teased as he watched the budding couple fuss over one another. Kiba and Suigetsu had finally confessed their affections for each other after a long night game two months ago. They would always remember that night because it was raining furiously and when they finally kissed thunder clapped through the sky. It was pretty cool.

Suigetsu smirked while Kiba scowled and scoffed and sputtered. "I know, right?" he wrapped a sly arm around Kiba's hip and pulled him close. "We're thinking of getting matching tats. Something sexy and meaningful."

"And if you two break up then you'll have your ex's name forever ingrained on your skin," Gaara scoffed and tugged at his bowtie, "Smart move."

"That's impossible!" Suigetsu placed a sloppy kiss on Kiba's cheek. "Kiba and I are going strong! Together forever, babe."

'_Kiba looks so happy,' _Naruto thought, watching Suigetsu and Kiba fuss over one another and giving out corny compliments. He wondered if that was how people viewed him and Sasuke—young and dipped in a bucket of love.

"Hey, Gaara," Kiba called out after finally tearing his lips off of Suigetsu, "where's your date?"

"Right here," Neji glided into the living room dressed in a black tux adorned with a red carnation. He slipped a slim but muscular arm into Gaara's inviting loop and smiled. "I must say Gaara has a way with words."

The redhead merely smirked. Damn right he had a way with words.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Hyuga and Gaara, huh?" he spared a glance towards Suigetsu and Kiba, "Well I've seen weirder couples."

Suigetsu placed his hands on his hips, "More like you've seen better looking couples! Like me and my boo, of course."

"Please," Naruto scoffed and pressed himself up against Sasuke, flashing his sexiest grin. "Sasuke and I take the cake for best looking couple!"

"In your dreams, Uzumaki!"

"If anyone here looks the best together, the obvious choice would be Gaara and I," Neji turned his pale purple eyes towards his escort, "Isn't that right?"

Gaara cracked a smirk, "You wouldn't be too far off."

Iruka and Kakashi came in a few minutes later, both dressed up in tuxes adorned with a colorful carnation. Iruka's was deep purple and Kakashi was a scarlet red. Everyone had a color for himself and wore it proudly. Naruto's was orange. Sasuke's was dark blue. Kiba's was black. Suigetsu's was a light blue. And Gaara's was a muddy red. They all sported spiffy bowties as well.

They were dressed to impress today.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Iruka tossed his keys into the air and expertly caught them.

"Yes!" Naruto answered for the whole group.

"Alright then! Let's head out."

"I call shot gun!" the blond was half way down the stairs and out the door by the times the words collapsed in the air.

"Fucking cheater!" Kiba shouted, dashing after Naruto. "You're sitting in the trunk for that!"

+I Promise: I Dos+

"Are you crying?" Sasuke teased, leaning in to get a better view of his love's face.

"N-No!" Naruto sniffled and blew his nose for the tenth time that afternoon. "I just have a cold! I… Why would I be crying?"

"Weddings normally generate tears," half the congregation that was there—Kyuubi's ex gang friends and Naruto's mother's family and friends—were either on the verge of or in tears by now and the couple hadn't even said "I do" yet.

"Yeah, well… I'm not crying!" Naruto defended lamely.

"Promise?"

"Pinky swear. Now shut up I can't hear the priest talking."

The wedding was held outside since it was such a beautiful, summer's day. Weeping willows enclosed them in a circle of nature. A huge lake was to their left and the opening doors leading back to the hotel was off to their right. Vibrant flowers of fiery reds and golden yellows were blooming everywhere. All in all, the location for Kyuubi's wedding was beautiful—a lot more than either of them, minus Naruto, expected to see from the barbarian.

"My mother has very refine tastes," Naruto had stated earlier when everyone else was enrapt by the sheer beauty and elegance of the hotel. "And Kyuubi's a man who likes to please so they both work out."

Now the couple were standing at the altar, staring adoringly into each other's eyes, and whispered the second most important words a human being will ever say:

"I do." Kyuubi answered almost immediately.

The priest nodded and turned to Naruto's mother, Kushina. "And do you, Kushina Uzumaki, do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." There were tears coating her violet-blue eyes.

After a few more words and vows, the Pastor finally nodded and said, "You may now kiss the bride."

Hoots and hollers ascended around the church as the two locked in a passionate and love filled kiss. By this time, Naruto wasn't afraid to admit he was crying. Sure, Kyuubi wasn't his favorite person in the world. And his mother had abandoned him, but Naruto had moved passed all of that for their benefit. The two were happy together, and Naruto was happy to see them together.

His hand found Sasuke's somehow. A roaring crowd surrounded the two, and Naruto looked up at him with expectant, blue eyes. "Do you think we'll be like that one day?"

"What? Old and psychotic?" Sasuke chuckled at his own joke.

Naruto pouted and punched Sasuke on the shoulder. "No… I mean like. Together… and stuff."

"We're together now."

"I know that! But like… what if we broke up or something? Do you think we'd ever get back together?" blue eyes desperately wanted to clash with those lovely pools of onyx they loved to drown in, but they were too scared of the answer that could be lurking at the murky depths.

Sasuke blew a puff out a puff of air, pulled Naruto onto his lip, and stared him square in the eyes. "That's never going to happen, so you shouldn't even worry about that. We can have arguments. We can have nights where we can't stand each other. But I would _never _leave you." He kissed Naruto. "I love you."

A huge blush conquered Naruto's face and he buried it in the crook of Sasuke's neck, "I'll never get tired of hearing you say that."

"I spoil you too much," Sasuke chuckled and ran his fingers through golden locks.

"Hey…" Naruto pulled back and flashed Sasuke a seductive smile… "I'm feeling sort of horny…"

Shaking his head, onyx eyes danced in amusement as he, not too secretly, brushed his hand over Naruto's crotch. The blond bit his lip to hold back his moan. "Couldn't you wait until after the reception?"

"I can't help it!" Naruto whined. "When you say things like that… it makes me want you really, _really _badly."

Naruto's seductive face was doing a pretty good job at getting Sasuke to bend to Naruto's whims. Grasping Naruto's hands tightly in his, the two boys dashed through chairs and chattering people, desperate to find a little closet or a bathroom to hide away in. Just around the corner was a small supply closet that was left a little ajar. The boys dashed inside and locked the door behind them.

The minute the door slammed shut their lips met. It was a hot and passionate and needy kiss that left them breathless and downright _horny _for more. Sasuke lifted Naruto by the calves and wrapped them around his hips. Their evident hard-ons shamelessly brushed against each other, causing strangled moans to escape both boys.

Naruto bucked his hips against Sasuke, throwing his head back in pure bliss as the friction caused sparks to ignite across his body. Sasuke met him thrust for thrust, biting down hard on his jugular.

"Ahh… aahhh… F-Faster," Naruto croaked. Their thrusting increased. Moans were floating and climbing up higher and higher into the air like smoke. Random brooms and other mops clattered to the floor from such a reckless commotion but the boys didn't care. They were too consumed about each other to notice.

"Close," Sasuke grunted. Snapping his hips in wild abandon. All too soon their orgasms crashed over them. They had called out the other's names in a strangled, hoarse whisper afraid that some unlucky passerby would be forever scarred by their foreplay. Naruto's body shook and shivered from the pleasurable aftershocks of his orgasm as Sasuke continued to grind against him until they both slid to the floor.

Exhaustion came over them pretty quickly, and neither was too willing to get up yet.

"Do… Do you think anyone will notice?" Naruto asked, out of breath.

Sasuke shrugged lazily and wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist. "Not unless they have really good hearing."

"Not just that… I mean… won't _it_ show?" a slight blush took over the blond's face as he pointed with his eyes toward their crotches.

Sasuke looked down, narrowed his eyes, and then looked back with a tiny spark hidden in those orbs. "We're wearing black. So we'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive," he leaned in for a kiss when the door opened slowly. Light flooded the tiny closet, exposing their secret and hidden deed.

"Uhhh…" Naruto's face was a vibrant red staring up at the confused and slightly offended janitor.

"I _told _them this would happen again!" the janitor cursed and stamped his foot on the ground. "They say that the kid's won't go in here for sex and look what they do! They fuck in my closet! Freaking sons of bitches…" he muttered under his breath as he turned on his heel and stormed down the hallway.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other, dumbfounded, before cracking into smiles and bursting into fits of laughter.

"Crazy kids these days. Going into closets to fuck! What is wrong with this world?" Naruto screamed exaggeratedly.

"Who knows," Sasuke sighed dramatically. "That man obviously couldn't have been talking about _us_."

"Oh never." Naruto's giggles slowly dissipated, but the light mood surrounding them didn't disappear. "Come on," he helped Sasuke out and peeked outside before fully stepping out of the closet, "I'm hungry and I heard the cake here is _banging_. Let's get some before Kiba stuffs it all away in that black hole he calls a stomach."

+I Promise: Slow Dances in Red+

Naruto and Sasuke, Kakashi and Iruka, Gaara and Neji, and Kiba and Suigetsu were all seated at a table located in the middle of the white sea of table clothes and sparkling candles. There were around thirty tables on each side—yeah, Kyuubi and Kushina combined knew a lot of people—and somehow they had managed to snag the best seats in the house.

"A toast!" Suigetsu raised his glass high in the air, "to the chef for making this kick ass food!"

"Cheers!" the table roared and downed their drinks with fever. Naruto had forever banned alcohol after his last experience but decided a little wine wouldn't kill him, especially since Iruka had dumped over half the contents out just in case Naruto's tolerance was low. You know how strict parenting goes and all that jazz. When his glass hit the table, a blaze of fiery red appeared before him. And draped on his arm held together by a form-fitting white dress… was his mother.

"Ay there, Kit!" Kyuubi grinned from ear to ear. He looked a lot more… human with Kushina by his side.

"Hey, Kyuubi…" Naruto locked eyes with his mother and nodded, "Mom."

"Naruto!" Kushina ran for her son and held him by the neck, nearly crushing the dear boy. "Oh my have you grown! I remember when you were such a freaking pipsqueak, always obnoxious and climbing onto everything! Now you're a skyscraper, baby!" she beamed and poked her son in the side, "You even lost your baby fat! Gosh, you were the cutest, chubbiest baby ever!"

"Mom!" Naruto whined and hid his embarrassed face from his boyfriend, friends, and extended family. They were all wearing thin, laughter hiding, grins right now and Naruto knew any second one of them was going to explode.

As expected, Kiba was the first.

"Awww, Naruto was such a chubby, wubby little baby!" Kiba cooed and went to pinch Naruto's cheeks, only to have Naruto threaten to bite him. "Ouch… baby's got bite."

"I will kill you," the blond roared.

Kushina gave her son a look and smacked him on the back of his head. "That is no way to talk to your very handsome friend." She turned to Kiba with a smile, "I'm sorry young man. My son's an idiot."

Kiba smirked and shared a glance with Gaara. Gaara smirked as well. "Tell me about it," he said.

"Mom, not that I don't enjoy your company with me or anything but… why are you here? I'm pretty sure you have a million other tables to visit."

"I came here to ask you to dance with me, obviously." Kushina stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "Come again?" but his mother was already dragging him onto the dance floor. She thrust them into a throng of slow dance couples and cute children who were doing their own little thing. She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. "You know how to do this, right? Just place your hands on my—"

"Yes, Mom," Naruto groaned as if she just told him to go take out the trash when he really didn't want to be bothered. He placed his hands on her hips and started to sway back and forth. Awkwardness started to itch at his skin as he attempted to make eye contact with his mother… It wasn't that he hated her or anything just felt really indifferent towards her. Yes, he still loved her. But she did what she did for her own reasons. It's not like before Kyuubi snapped she hadn't given him the best—she had. It was just her attitude towards life was a little flippant. Naruto had to admit, his mother looked absolutely beautiful tonight. Her hair was tied up in a bun with loose curls tumbling to frame her face perfectly.

"You've gotten so handsome," Kushina whispered, gently cupping her son's face in her hands.

"You're as beautiful as I remember, Mom." Naruto smiled softly.

"I'm sorry I was never a better mother to you…" her voice was strained, as if she were desperately trying to hold herself together.

Naruto shook his head and smiled even wider. "You were a great mom. Sure, I would have liked you to stay a little longer but…" he shrugged, "you did what you had to do."

She was quiet for a while. The song taking a more upbringing and angelic tone to it's melody. The bass pulsed and the lovely piano keys became lighter and more… freeing. Finally, she said, "Am I even worthy of your forgiveness?"

"Mom… please… I've already forgiven you a long time ago. This is _your _day. Don't worry about me and have a blast." He spun her around to make her face Kyuubi who had one hand in his pocket and another hand beckoning her towards him. "Be happy with your choices, Mom. It's your life, after all."

Her eyes said more words than were possible to speak aloud.

Before leaving him, Kushina pulled Naruto into a bone-crushing hug and whispered, "Love you, baby boy."

Naruto stood a little stiffly. It was awkward feeling such maternal affections after a long time without them, but finally he hugged her back. "Love you too, Mom." He watched with sad eyes as Kushina reconnected with Kyuubi on the dance floor, the two glowing like angels had just appeared before them to show that their union was fully recognized.

'_I still can't believe how weird things turned out this way?' _Suddenly, he felt very alone in the sea of dancing couples and was about to head back to his table when a red rose popped into his vision.

"Leaving the dance floor already? I thought we could share a slow one…" Sasuke appeared with a bright red rose in his hand and a small smile on his lips.

Naruto shook his head and stepped closer so that their bodies were touching. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck and kissed him on the lips. "Well if you're offering me a rose in exchange for a dance…" he gently plucked the rose from Sasuke's fingers and brought it to his nose, "who am I to decline?"

"Oh, that rose wasn't for asking you to the dance." Sasuke said as he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist and started swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the piano keys. "It just helped to add to the effect."

"You sneaky little bastard," Naruto snickered and rested his head on Sasuke's shoulder. Being so near and close made everything that happened this past year so _real_. Sasuke was all he wanted and more. He was always the sanity to his insanity, dealing with his childish moments and tainted past. Not once had Sasuke judged him or left him for what happened. He was always there, right beside him. His heart thudded loudly against his chest as the lights around them dimmed into a darker hue.

"Then… if this rose wasn't to ask me for a dance, what did you need it for?" Naruto whispered.

Sasuke tipped Naruto's chin with his finger and kissed him softly. "Just a promise."

"Really?" Naruto's eyelashes fluttered and he found himself entranced by Sasuke's lips, "What's the promise."

"A simple one, really. This rose is to remind you that… no matter what I'll be yours." He kissed Naruto again and this time their lips lingered as if they were too afraid to break apart. "Yours forever," he added in a hushed tone.

"But what if the rose dies?" Naruto didn't want to sound silly or anything. He fully believed Sasuke would stay with him even if the rose were nothing more but a withered stem. But he _did _want to know.

Sasuke smirked, and for a minute Naruto thought Sasuke was going to crush his heart under the steel boot of reality. Instead, he said something that totally blew Naruto away.

"You won't have to worry about that. The rose is a fake. And even if it weren't, I'd still be by your side. I love you, Naruto."

The raven truly had a way with words. Every sentence, every syllable, was just another gunshot to Naruto's already erratic heart. He hugged Sasuke for all he was worth, possible crushing the fake flower to its death.

"Sasuke, you are the _best_! Have I ever told you that?"

The raven smirked, "The sentence rings a few bells…"

"Well don't you ever forget it because it's true!" Naruto sighed and bumped their foreheads together gently. "I love you too, Teme."

+I Promise: Finally+

When Naruto finally returned home, Naruto made a mad dash for his bedroom and ran to his phase that held twelve, beautiful roses glowing in the moonlight. Naruto stuck the final rose inside and stood back to stare at the red forest bursting from the vase. He couldn't believe it…

"Thirteen roses, thirteen promises," and not one were ever uncompleted and left alone to rot. Time and time again Sasuke proved his love for Naruto. Proved that he was worth the risk of falling. His fingers gently brushed the last rose's synthetic petals and smiled when a pair when a pair of arms wrapped their arms around his waist, tugging him towards the bed.

Naruto Uzumaki, a boy who was once blinded by puppy love, now had someone to call his partner, a boyfriend, and a _lover_. And to think this story of love all started with one simple promise tied to a dangling rose.

**The End: These Promises Will Never Wither**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>So guys... this is the end! T^T But I promise you I'll come back soon! I'm itching to start working on a new fanfic but I don't know WHICH one to start. So I was wondering if you guys would help me? They're all going to be SasuNaru but if the urge ever arises I'll probably crack out a Sladin fic or a JessexJaden fic... but really, all the stories that you,if you could, check out will be Sasunaru.

Here are the titles: **City of Towers, Borrowed Not Stolen, Resurfaced, Illusions & Roses.** I'll have the link to my memories page where everything should be found by their title c: First chapter of each fanfic has been posted! And I'll make the poll as quickly as possible so you can vote! Thank you so much! GUYS I'LL MISS YOU! BUT UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN! MWAH MWAH. HUG. HUG. YOU'RE ALL AMAZING! AMAZZZZING!

**Till Next Time! ~Fallen**


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